Many people are surprised when they find out that their favorite hair care product is not vegan. The shocking truth is that many products on the market test on animals and use animal byproducts in the creation process. These are cruel practices that should be phased out immediately!
But why?
Products that test on animals and use animal byproducts in their creation are unnecessary. We don’t need cruelty to achieve beautiful results!
Malina offers vegan, natural haircare options without sacrificing efficacy for our customers. This article explains common ingredients used in the hair care industry and the ingredients we use to replace them.
Non-Vegan Hair Care Ingredients Malina Refuses to Use
Keratin
Keratin is commonly used as an ingredient in hair cosmetics and comes from animal sources. It’s usually extracted from sheep wool, cattle horns, or duck feathers, which are all byproducts of a cruel industry.
This supplement is usually used to strengthen and straighten hair. But we don’t need it in Malina products. We’re summoning the power of tourmaline and other yummy ingredients!
Instead of Keratin, Malina uses a combination of plant-based amino acids, vitamins, proteins, and antioxidants to repair the hair. Ingredients such as shea butter, Argan & macadamia oil, avocado and mango, chia and coconut oil (to name only a few) moisturize, de-frizz, and repair the hair.
All Malina’s ingredients sound so good you could eat them!
Retinol
Retinol is a powerful ingredient that has been proven to induce new hair growth and improve scalp conditions. However, it usually comes from animal-based sources such as beef, chicken liver, eggs, and fish. This is why we’ve decided to avoid using retinol. The cruelty involved outweigh its benefits!
However, retinol is found in many plants, too. Carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, squash, and pumpkin all have this ingredient. Perhaps someday, we will include plant-based retinol in our products!
Carmine
Carmine is one of the more common animal-based ingredients used in hair care and cosmetic products. This is a dye that’s a colored extract taken from Cochineal, which is a scale insect that lives as a parasite on Opuntia cacti. These bugs originate in tropical and subtropical South America, and they’re found throughout Arizona and Mexico.
This dye was first used by the Mayas and Aztecs of Central and North America. But we’ve come a long way since then!
All Malina products are carmine-free. The fact of the matter is we prefer our hair care products without crushed insects, and we hope you do, too!
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in our bodies. Mainly, it’s located in high concentrations in our eye fluids and joints. We produce it by eating vitamin-rich foods containing plenty of magnesium. However, animals produce it, too. The rooster’s comb is one of the most common sources used in cosmetics.
Instead of hyaluronic acid extracted from animals, we get ours from plant-based sources. Namely, we’re using hyaluronic acid from sugar beets and red beets to ensure our products remain as happy as the Malina Lovers who use them!
Lanolin
Malina products are and will remain lanolin-free. Lanolin oil is a secretion that comes from sheepskin. Comparable to human sebum, this oil gets secreted to condition and protect sheep’s wool.
But lanolin is totally unnecessary in hair care products.
Malina products don’t contain lanolin. Instead, we use tourmaline and other natural ingredients like avocado, soybean, hazelnut oil, pea kernel oil, and coconut oil to condition and protect hair.
Collagen
Collagen is an animal protein that is a component of skin, bones, and connective tissue. It can be found in hair care products because it strengthens the follicles and prevents breakage or loss. But again, we use plant-based alternatives that work just as well without the cruelty – like our soybean infusion!
Gelatin
One of the most common animal-derived ingredients found in food and beauty products is gelatin. This stuff is made from animal collagen, which is a protein that’s composed of connective tissues like tendons, skin, ligaments, and bones. Once it’s extracted, it’s dried, ground into a powder, and sifted.
Many hair care products use gelatin. However, Malina products commit to being gelatin-free and vegan, so we refuse to use it!
Squalane
Squalane is found in shark liver oil. Since these beautiful creatures dive at lower ocean depths, they need this high concentration of fatty acids in their livers to survive. But it’s not necessary for hair products, so we don’t use it!
Malina products are squalene-free because we care about the animals. We find ourselves asking “why?” any time we see this ingredient in hair care, and we hope you do, too!
Malina Hair Care with Tourmaline
All Malina products infused with tourmaline, a rare gemstone that adds mineral properties to our treatments, negative ions in tourmaline counteract to eliminate positive ions found in damaged and dry hair.
We use tourmaline for our hair smoothing products because it:
- Balances pH of hair
- Neutralizes static
- Eliminates frizz
- Controls volume
- Decreases friction & stress on the hair
- Helps in reconstructing protein bridges
- Aids in product penetration into the hair
- Provides reconstruction for straight and curly hair
Tourmaline is ultimately the better option, especially for those who prefer to avoid animal cruelty in their beauty products.
Other Ingredients You’ll Find in Malina
Argon Oil for Hair
At Malina, we use Argon oil for our hair products. This ingredient contains plenty of fatty acids, primarily oleic acid, and linoleic acid. Since it’s rich in vitamin E, it offers a fatty layer to your hair and scalp, effectively reducing fizziness, boosting shine, and preventing dryness.
Avocado for Hair
We use avocado for our hair products because it’s an excellent source of biotin, potassium, and magnesium. Research highlights that these minerals might seal cuticle cells, ensuring hair has a smooth and healthy shine while preventing breakage.
Soybean for Hair
Soybean oil for hair helps with moisture retention. This is a carrier oil that contains good fatty acids, vitamins, and manganese. Furthermore, this ingredient’s lipids help hair treatments absorb better into hair, making it an appreciated addition to our product line!
Wheat Protein for Hair
More and more vegan hair care products are discovering the power of wheat protein for hair. Wheat protein increases your hair’s moisture retention capabilities while adding volume and improving its smoothness.
Wheat protein for hair also produces a gorgeous shine, which is just one of the many reasons we use it in Malina products!
Hazelnut Oil for Hair
Some brands aren’t interested in adding hazelnut oil for hair treatments. However, at Malina, we understand its application for dry, seborrheic scalps and lipid barrier replenishment. This oil has a light texture that makes it perfect for frizz control while reversing dryness and damage.
Ultimately, Malina Lovers LOVE how this oil leaves their hair softer, shinier, and more manageable while preventing breakage.
Pea Kernel Oil for Hair
Pea kernel oil for hair is another ingredient that’s not often used by other brands. In addition to being rich in fatty acids, this oil is also high in proteins and minerals needed for strong hair growth.
Malina Lovers appreciate pea kernel oil because it strengthens the hair strand without drying out their scalp or leaving a greasy residue. Just a little bit goes a long way, and the vitamins it contains promote luscious, healthy hair.
Baobab Oil for Hair
Baobab oil for hair is high in omega-3 fatty acids, ensuring efficacy for our hair masks and conditioners. In addition, it moisturizes dry hair and strengthens brittle hair. Between baobab’s frizz smoothing and hair protection properties, it’s no wonder why we use it in Malina products!
Palm Fruit for Hair
Palm fruit is an impressive biocompatible antioxidant that rapidly absorbs into the skin, scalp, and hair follicles. Two studies show that within eight months of using this supplement, people experience a 38% increase in the number of hairs they have on their heads. For these reasons, Malina products contain palm fruit!
Some other ingredients you’ll find in Malina products include mango, chia seed, Kukui nut, macadamia, rapeseed oil, and coconut oil.
Vegan Hair Care from Malina
Malina is proud to be a 100% vegan brand! That feature has become common in beauty products recently. But what exactly does “Vegan” mean?
Vegan means that there are no ingredients inside the product that are derived (taken) from animals. Also, no ingredients in our products come from animal byproducts (things that animals make such as dairy products or beeswax).
We’re also 100% cruelty-free, which is sometimes misconstrued as being the same thing – but it’s not!
You can have a brand that contains animal products and doesn’t test on animals, making it cruelty-free but not vegan. Equally, you can have a brand that doesn’t contain animal products, making it vegan. However, some of its ingredients or the formula are tested on animals.
Malina: A Vegan & Cruelty-free Brand
Malina is proud to be both vegan and cruelty-free!
Many animal-sourced ingredients are commonly found in cosmetics. But to discover what makes Malina different, let’s talk Smoothing… the core category of our line!
Malina is first and foremost a professional smoothing brand.
Our One & Done Treatment and our Ultra Mineral Boost Treatment are poised to take over in-salon Keratin treatments and services.
As more salons discover the magic of Malina, they will continue to replace the products they currently use with our fume-free, vegan, reparative products that perform the same as, if not better than, our competitors!
Our One & Done Treatment provides smoothing, de-frizzing, and loosens curls, lasting up to 5 months! Our Ultra Mineral Boost service provides intense repair, curl enhancement and definition, and de-frizzing that lasts around 6 weeks!
All our aftercare products, shampoo, conditioners, and at-home treatments are also vegan and include a selection of hand-picked plant-sourced ingredients that care for and protect the hair, offering de-frizzing benefits, as well as help any in-salon treatments last longer. And of course!… they’re 100% vegan, too!
New to Malina? Check out our Classic Mineral Mask that instantly transforms your hair with only one use!
To find a salon that uses our products, use our salon finder here!
If you are a professional then use our distributor finder to discover who services your area!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article. If you have any questions about the ingredients we use – or don’t use – feel free to contact us at any time!
