A Real Vegan Replacement for Lanolin?

[LBussy]

I'm not vegan by any means, but I think considering an alternative for people who are is reasonable. There are good to excellent alternatives for many of the other animal-sourced components, but not for lanolin.

I've heard shea (ain't the same), cupuacu (ain't the same) ... I've looked at a lot of different butters and I don't believe any of them provide the same emollient effect as lanolin. Also, lanolin is largely unsaponifiable so adding any of the others in a soap at least does change things. The best I can come up with is petroleum jelly which is unsaponifiable, and has a low comedogenic rating.

Any thoughts here? Is petroleum jelly "ok" for vegans? I understand it's unpopular with some folks which is a little ridiculous, but I can work with that.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

What about jojoba? I've thought of that as being "veggie-lanolin" several times.

 

[LBussy]

What about jojoba? I've thought of that as being "veggie-lanolin" several times.

It has a very similar SAP value, making it even just slightly less saponifiable, but it has about 12% Oleic acid which is something I don't want. Of course this is a mental exercise, it may work just fine.

 

[IrishLass]

My best answer is this....scroll down to the heading 'The New Alternatives' in the link below and read paragraph 3:

http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/technical/article_page/The_right_oils__waxes_for_the_job/49262


IrishLass

 

[LBussy]

My best answer is this....scroll down to the heading 'The New Alternatives' in the link below and read paragraph 3:

http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/technical/article_page/The_right_oils__waxes_for_the_job/49262

Well it looks like all I need is some poly-vinyl-watchamacallit!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I say let them choose - a soap with lanolin or without. While a soap with no lanolin might not be as good as one with, vegetables are not as good as steak, but that's the choice vegans made...........

 

[LBussy]

I say let them choose - a soap with lanolin or without. While a soap with no lanolin might not be as good as one with, vegetables are not as good as steak, but that's the choice vegans made...........

I don't disagree. I don't sell soap so this is academic. I'm just taking it as a challenge. I want to make a veg soap that contradicts my firm belief that you can't make a veg shave soap that's as good as one with critters in it.

 

[IrishLass]

I was reading over on another forum and ran into a handful of threads where people listed these as possible lanolin subs:

Viamerine 2500: http://www.theherbarie.com/Viamerine-2500.html

Cera Bellina: http://www.lotioncrafter.com/cera-bellina.html

and Orange Peel Wax: http://www.theherbarie.com/Orange-Peel-Wax.html


I've never tried any of them myself, though. I'm too much in love with my lanolin to ever want to stray.


IrishLass

 

[kchaystack]

And as I said in the vegan soap thread, this is a matter of perspective. Steak might taste better than vegies to YOU, but not to everyone. What you think is a "better" soap is very subjective. Lee, for your use and your preferences, maybe you can't make something you like better that is completely veg. But if you have a friend that is vegetarian or vegan then they will say the veg soap is better, because it follows their philosophy.

I do not agree with the vegan/vegetarian people that deride people for eating meat. It is also not right for non-veg people to do the same for people who do not.

 

[new12soap]

I was reading over on another forum and ran into a handful of threads where people listed these as possible lanolin subs:

Viamerine 2500: http://www.theherbarie.com/Viamerine-2500.html

Cera Bellina: http://www.lotioncrafter.com/cera-bellina.html

and Orange Peel Wax: http://www.theherbarie.com/Orange-Peel-Wax.html


I've never tried any of them myself, though. I'm too much in love with my lanolin to ever want to stray.


IrishLass

Strictly speaking, I don't think cera bellina would be considered vegan as it is derived from beeswax. JM2C

 

[IrishLass]

Strictly speaking, I don't think cera bellina would be considered vegan as it is derived from beeswax. JM2C

Good point!


IrishLass

 

[dixiedragon]

I think rather than trying to find a substitute for lanolin, I would look for humanely farmed lanolin. Sheep would be miserable if they weren't being sheered, so harvesting wool is not necessarily cruel to them. Kind of like eggs from a free-range chicken vs a factory farmed chicken.

 

[LBussy]

And as I said in the vegan soap thread, this is a matter of perspective. Steak might taste better than vegies to YOU, but not to everyone. What you think is a "better" soap is very subjective. Lee, for your use and your preferences, maybe you can't make something you like better that is completely veg. But if you have a friend that is vegetarian or vegan then they will say the veg soap is better, because it follows their philosophy..

As I said it is academic. The chances of this friend being as critical of the soap as I am is slim. *I* want to make a veg version of this and see if I can do it. If he likes it he just got free soap and I learned something. If not, I still learned something.

 

[LBussy]

I think rather than trying to find a substitute for lanolin, I would look for humanely farmed lanolin. Sheep would be miserable if they weren't being sheered, so harvesting wool is not necessarily cruel to them. Kind of like eggs from a free-range chicken vs a factory farmed chicken.

I'm not even close to vegan so take this with a healthy dose of salt - the vegan people I know would return that wild sheep do not have such issues, it's our inhumane breeding practices that cause them to need this. As such the act of keeping captive domesticated sheep would be an aberration.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Yup, that is one argument that vegans use.

The flip side is that sheep, cows, and other heavily-domesticated animals are so far from their wild roots that it's either humans take care of them, or they go extinct, and for many of them their close wild ancestors are already extinct and habitats gone. *shrugs*

It's a good thing that none of my close friends are vegan. Lacto-ovo vegetarian and pescatarians abound, yes, but all love other things too much to go vegan.