New year, new me - this is often the motto when we celebrate the turn of the year.
Instead of the traditional New Year's resolutions, for many people the New Year now means taking part in what is known as "Veganuary". But what is behind this trend, which is becoming increasingly popular?
Veganuary, a combination of the words vegan and January, means living vegan for the first month of the year. Many people give up animal products in their lives in January. However, Veganuary goes far beyond mere nutrition and includes all areas of life. On the one hand, Veganuary gives participants the opportunity to experience what it means to live vegan and, on the other hand, the reduction in consumption significantly reduces the impact on animal welfare and the environment.
In 2023, over 700,000 people were officially registered for Veganuary. The actual number of participants is estimated to be significantly higher.
But why do people decide to go vegan and how exactly does Veganuary work?
The reasons are many and varied: some take part in Veganuary to improve their health, others for ethical reasons to reduce animal suffering, and still others to do something about climate change and global warming. What is certain is that the trend has developed into a global movement that encourages people to live more consciously and contribute to a better world.
How does Veganuary work?
It is important to emphasize that Veganuary is not just limited to nutrition. Rather, the month extends to all areas of life. In addition to food, this means above all clothing, cosmetics, skin care and hygiene products. In other words, everything that contains animal ingredients is avoided, whether visible (such as leather) or invisible, such as animal fats in processed products.
We have often tried Veganuary ourselves and are always surprised and sometimes even shocked at how many products contain animal ingredients, contrary to expectations. Fortunately, it has now become easier to recognize vegan products, as many carry a vegan logo such as the PETA certification or the "vegan flower".
In the following section we give useful tips on how to successfully master the veganuary with the right skincare products and why so many face creams and lotions are still not vegan.
Why vegan skincare?
As previously mentioned, vegan skincare is essential to a successful veganuary.
Vegan skincare is characterized by the fact that no animal ingredients are used in the skincare products or during the production development process. Vegan creams, serums and lotions must also not be tested on animals. Fortunately, this is prohibited in the EU anyway according to European Parliament Directive 2010/63/EU.
Many conventional skincare products still contain ingredients such as collagen, lanolin, elastin, hyaluronic acid and beeswax, all of which can come from animal sources. Vegan skincare products, on the other hand, rely on plant-based or synthetically derived ingredients that are just as effective.
When it comes to nutrition, many people argue that they do not want to give up the taste of meat or do not like the smell of plant-based substitute products. This is literally a "matter of taste" and can only be assessed subjectively. There is no such difference with skincare as vegan skincare, for example, cannot be distinguished by its look, smell or feel (not even by experts).
Nature not only offers us a wide range of plant extracts, oils and butters that are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and moisturizers (just to name a few). In the world of skincare, it has even been proven that vegan creams and the like are just as good as the alternatives. You can read all about it in this blog. So there is no reason not to use vegan skincare.
Vegan skincare is not only better for the animal world, it is also generally better for the environment. Without animal-based ingredients, less greenhouse gas is produced and global warming is not fruther accelerated.
In addition, many manufacturers of vegan skincare for men use ecological packaging materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. kluuf also uses an environmentally friendly grass paper box for all products and only ships climate-neutrally with DHL gogreen. Sustainable and clean skincare for men with kluuf - the right way.
Fortunately, the variety of vegan skincare products on the market is constantly growing. From face creams and cleansers to aftershaves - more and more manufacturers are opting for vegan alternatives or, like kluuf, exclusively selling green and vegan skincare products for men. kluuf's founder Florian says:
"There is no reason not to develop and distribute vegan skincare in the 21st century. kluuf is leading the way as a small and sustainable skincare company, driving change in the industry. We will never use animal ingredients, especially not for operational or financial reasons, and we will not stop putting pressure on the big brands with our green skincare products. Together with our consumer we are going to make a change."
To summarize, vegan skincare is not only the right choice in veganuary, but also the logical choice for skincare enthusiasts in the long term. Regardless of whether you follow a vegan diet or not.
Vegan ingredients can nourish, repair, protect and rejuvenate your skin (anti-ageing) without harming animals. So upgrade your Veganuary this year with kluuf's vegan skincare for men and who knows: maybe you'll stay loyal to vegan face cream and body lotion beyond January. By the way, our after shave won the well-known PETA Vegan Beauty Award in 2023 - the perfect addition for every Veganuary.
