Not vegan. Keratin used in cosmetics and supplements is extracted from animal hair, wool, horns, hooves and feathers, so it is not vegan. Plant proteins are used as vegan alternatives in haircare.
Keratin is the protein in hair, nails, horns and feathers. The keratin in a smoothing treatment is sourced from exactly those animal parts.
Made fromAnimal hair, horns, hooves, feathers
Used inHaircare, nail and skin products
VerdictNot vegan
Where it hides
Keratin hair treatments
Shampoos and conditioners
Nail and skin products
Some supplements
What it is
Keratin is the tough protein the body builds structures from, and the cosmetic ingredient is harvested from animals that are rich in it.
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It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, horns, claws, hooves, and the outer layer of skin in tetrapod vertebrates.
Commercial keratin for shampoos, conditioners and salon smoothing treatments is typically rendered from wool, horns, hooves and feathers collected as slaughter by-products. Brands that want the same strengthening claim without animals use plant proteins from wheat, soy or corn, often labelled as a vegan keratin alternative.
CollagenCollagen is the scaffolding of animal bodies: skin, bone, connective tissue. There is no plant version, so every real collagen supplement is animal-derived, and vegan collagen is a different thing wearing the same name.
ElastinElastin is the protein that lets skin snap back. In a serum, it is usually harvested from animal connective tissue, the same as its cousin collagen.
LanolinLanolin is wool grease from sheep. No sheep is killed for it, but it is an animal product all the same, and it is the quiet source of most vitamin D3 on the shelf.
Protein on a vegan dietThe Evidence · The 'where do you get your protein' question has a boring, well-documented answer: from plants, across the day, and the complete-versus-incomplete framing was retired years ago.
Traditional keratin is from animal hair, horn or feathers, so it is not vegan. Some products use plant-derived proteins and market them as vegan keratin alternatives, which are.
What is a vegan alternative to keratin?
Hydrolysed plant proteins from wheat, soy, corn or rice are used to give similar strengthening and smoothing effects without animal keratin.
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