We're Celebrating Veganuary

Happy New Year Tribers! 

Let’s start 2022 with clarity at least as best we can, recognising that we all can define what a word means to us in different ways, and that phrases may mean different things to different people.

In the beauty industry, it can be a popularity contest. When you scratch the surface of the so-called contest, what should you find? You would find products that actually do what they say, products with efficacy, sustainability, ethical sourcing and diversity at its core. That is who we are at Naturally Tribal.

It’s estimated that around 5 million people in the UK took part in Veganuary in 2021, a staggering amount of people and for most that just involves a vegan diet. veganism is a lifestyle and making small changes in other areas, like your beauty routine, can have a huge impact on the planet and make a big difference.

There is a lot of confusion around what vegan really is and a lot of terms are used interchangeably, that’s why we are making it easy for you and have pulled together all the definitions for you. All these words feed into our celebration of Veganuary, speak to why we proudly carry the VEGAN Trademark and what you would find when you scratch the surface. 

Vegan - Being vegan means to embrace a strictly plant-based lifestyle, which avoids products derived from and tested on animals. This includes dairy, eggs and honey as well as meat. It is however not just about diet! We understand that being vegan is a lifestyle, achieved by taking baby steps. At Naturally Tribal, we are vegan certified, as we only use ingredients that come directly from the earth.

Vegetarian - A vegetarian lives by a strict plant-based lifestyle which avoids any meat or animal by-products. It is similar to being vegan, except that a vegetarian continues to use dairy products.

Cruelty Free - Being a Cruelty Free brand means that our products are not tested on animals. Our Cruelty Free status has been certified by Leaping Bunny and last year, we proudly joined the Leaping Bunny’s ‘Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics’ campaign where we gathered signatures for the European Citizen’s Initiative, to put a stop to animal testing in Europe.

Pescatarian - A pescatarian is someone who lives by a plant-based lifestyle, but still includes fish. Someone may choose to be pescatarian so that they can receive the added health benefits, as well as decreasing the environmental impact eating meat can have on our planet, as the production of fish and seafood has a lower carbon footprint than the production of meat.

Plant-Based - Someone who adheres to a plant-based lifestyle focuses on consuming food derived from plants including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. This is different from being vegan as it refers to diet only, as some may choose to still consume animal derived products. 

Non-toxic: Breast Cancer UK advises to “choose cosmetics free of harmful chemicals” and their #DitchTheJunk campaign encourages us all to know what we are putting on our bodies! For us here at Naturally Tribal Skincare, we are committed to using non-toxic ingredients and maintaining transparency so that our customers know exactly what is contained in each product

Natural vs organic:  When it comes to the term ‘Natural’, it has been said that as long as the ingredients are from a natural source, it is natural. The Soil Association when it comes to ‘Organic’ talk about ‘working with nature, not against it’, products grown without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, and manufactured herbicides. When we use the word Organic – we mean “Products manufactured using natural ingredients, are at least 98% chemical free and do not contain toxic ingredients and non-biodegradable chemicals which could negatively impact on customers”.

When we say Natural, we mean that ‘we know’ the source of the ingredients used in our products, that they are of high quality with no synthetic chemicals used and as nature intended.

Clean beauty: Clean Beauty refers to beauty products which use non-toxic ingredients. At Naturally Tribal, we do not use any synthetic chemicals or nasties in our products. Brands like us that use the term ‘clean beauty’ are transparent with the labelling of their ingredients as opposed to greenwashing. Greenwashing is where companies falsely market their products by using buzzwords such as ‘all-natural’ and ‘sustainable’ to capture the consumer's attention.

Blue beauty: Blue beauty refers to beauty products which are ocean-friendly. The World Wide Fund for Nature states that a dump truck full of plastic waste enters our oceans every minute, which is equal to 8 million tonnes of plastic a year. Being committed to blue beauty includes using sustainable packaging that can be recycled, protecting the oceans from harmful ingredients such as micro-beads and oxybenzone, which are found in many beauty products. 

The past 2 years has made all of us more aware of the impact we can have on the planet and the importance of looking after it. Which is why we are sharing our pledge with you to be transparent about what we aim to do in order to have a positive impact on our environment.

Our pledge:

1. To contribute to the UK realising its emissions law target to net zero by 2050
2. To not take anything out of the earth we don’t give back, which includes managing the waste we generate
3. To nurture our planet by looking after our trees including replanting, researching and replenishing
4. To continue to explore zero waste projects and initiatives bringing something positive and constructive to the communities we work with
5. To give back to our communities and our world through championing a sustainable lifestyle
6. To nurture and look after the environment around us

These pledges make our customers and partners part of our lifestyle choices!

We will keep you informed and involved on every step of our journey and know that our Tribers will be championing us along the way.