Vegan Doesn't Automatically Mean Clean

Vegan skincare is an industrial force to be reckoned with. Almost all skincare conflates being vegan with being clean, but those two terms do NOT mean the same thing. Allow us to explain why.

Both "vegan" and "clean" are terms that imply restriction, discipline, and sacrifice. The underlying assumption is that there is an easier, lazier way to do things, but instead of taking the easy route and using suspicious ingredients, it's better to make the hard choice to avoid those ingredients in order to be vegan and, therefore, clean. When clever marketing uses both these terms to describe their products, it is a natural step for the consumer to assume that one term naturally implies the other.

Unfortunately for vegans, the "easier, lazier way to do things" in skincare is already the vegan way, which is why you see vegan skincare everywhere. Petrochemicals and synthetics are - without exception - the cheapest, dirtiest, and most common skincare ingredients in the skincare industry. The petroleum industry is one of the biggest contributors to pollution and greenhouse gases, and as the demand for gas-powered vehicles declines, the need for divergent investment increases. Petrochemicals designed for the skincare market are a perfect solution.

But guess what?! Since petrochemicals are derived from refined petroleum products and not from animals, they are vegan! They are also ultra cheap and devoid of nutrients, in addition to suffocating the skin and wreaking havoc on the environment. These totally vegan ingredients are some of the worst chemicals you can put on your skin.

Silicones - another "clean vegan" imposter - have also come under scrutiny lately. Silicones are used everywhere - in skincare, haircare, and makeup - but they shine the brightest in "oil-free" products, since they are technically not oil (even though they are just as emollient). The main problem with silicones is that they do not break down in the environment, so they accumulate in the water supply. This has triggered legislative action in the United States as the government attempts to mitigate environmental damage from accumulated silicones. Silicones have either synthetic or mineral sources, which means they, too, are terrible for your skin, terrible for the earth, and also perfectly vegan.

Is it any wonder that vegan skincare has failed the consumer so miserably? Is it any wonder that everyone is constantly skipping from one brand to the next, hoping they will finally find relief for dry, itchy skin? Why is truly good skincare so damn hard to come by?

At Mil Usos, we agree that skincare should be neither complicated nor compromising. Vegan is truly the most rock bottom claim available to skincare, so we intentionally do better than vegan. We avoid all petrochemicals and silicones, and our products are fully biodegradable, which means they break down in the environment once they are washed off the skin. We know that higher quality products equal higher quality results, and we stay away from gimmicky language like "vegan" that aims to sell inferior products at a higher price.

The truth is sometimes small amounts of animal products - such as the modified beeswax found in our Total Cranarchy Multi-Use Balm or the compostable silk used for our Scuff Love Exfoliating Glove - are actually cleaner options than their vegan petrochemical and synthetic counterparts. Because these ingredients already exist in nature, they nourish and compliment human skin and break down easily in the environment. These natural options help us keep our ingredient lists short and simple, while avoiding any contribution to the petroleum industry.

Mil Usos was strategically designed to cut through the noise of the skincare industry and provide you with the best skincare ingredients nature has to offer - without compromise - all in as few, high-quality steps as possible. Check out our offerings for a serious skincare upgrade that save you a whole lotta hassle!