A vegan diet and lifestyle excludes all animal products, but the obvious ones (meat, milk, eggs, cheese) are just the beginning. Dozens of everyday foods, drinks, clothing items, and personal care products contain animal-derived ingredients that aren’t immediately apparent. Some hide behind unfamiliar names on ingredient labels, and others are used during processing but never listed at all.
Obvious Animal Products
Most people searching this topic already know the basics, but it helps to see the full picture. Veganism excludes all meat (beef, pork, chicken, fish, shellfish), dairy (milk, butter, cream, cheese, yogurt, ice cream), eggs, and honey. It also excludes less obvious animal foods like bone broth, lard, suet, and animal-based stocks or gravies.
Honey is sometimes debated, but mainstream vegan organizations consider it non-vegan. A single bee produces roughly one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime, and that honey is the colony’s primary energy source. When beekeepers harvest it, they typically replace it with sugar water that lacks the micronutrients bees need. The Vegan Society also points out that mass breeding of honeybees narrows their gene pool, increases disease susceptibility, and displaces native bumblebee populations.
Hidden Ingredients in Everyday Foods
This is where things get tricky. Many processed foods contain animal-derived additives that don’t sound like they came from animals.
- Gelatin is made from collagen extracted from animal skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones. It shows up in gummy candies, marshmallows, Jell-O, frosted cereals, and some yogurts.
- Casein and sodium caseinate are milk proteins found in protein bars, “non-dairy” creamers, and some soy cheeses. Standard non-dairy coffee creamers often contain 2% to 5% sodium caseinate, a milk derivative. The term “non-dairy” on a label does not guarantee the product is vegan.
- Whey is a byproduct of cheesemaking, used as a binder in baked goods, snack bars, crackers, and processed meats.
- L-cysteine is a dough conditioner used in commercial breads, bagels, and pizza dough. It is still primarily sourced from human hair, duck feathers, or hog hair. One industry estimate placed hog hair as the source of roughly 90% of the Chinese supply, with human hair and duck feathers filling the rest. A synthetic, plant-based version exists but costs two to three times more and accounts for only about 10% of the market.
- Carmine (also labeled cochineal extract or Natural Red 4) is a bright red dye made from crushed cochineal insects. About 70,000 insects are needed to produce a single pound of dye. It appears in red candies, fruit juices, yogurts, and cosmetics. Since 2009, the FDA has required it to be listed by name rather than hidden under the generic term “natural color.”
- Confectioner’s glaze (also called shellac or resinous glaze) is a shiny coating made from the secretions of lac insects. It’s used on candy-coated chocolates, jelly beans, pharmaceutical pills, and even some fresh fruit to seal in moisture and add shine.
Drinks That Aren’t Always Vegan
Many wines and beers are filtered using animal products that never appear on the label. Isinglass, a substance made from fish swim bladders, is widely used in British brewing to clarify cask ales. It works by binding with suspended yeast particles, forming a jelly-like mass that sinks to the bottom of the barrel, leaving the beer clear. Gelatin serves a similar purpose in some winemaking, and egg whites are a traditional fining agent for red wines.
Because these substances are considered processing aids rather than ingredients, they’re rarely listed on the bottle. The finished product may contain only trace amounts, but the animal product was essential to making it. Some breweries and wineries now use plant-based or mineral alternatives, and apps like Barnivore track which brands are vegan-friendly.
Clothing and Textiles
Veganism extends beyond food. Several common materials come from animals.
- Leather is made from animal hides, most commonly cattle. Alternatives now include cactus-based leather developed in Mexico and various mushroom-derived materials.
- Wool comes from sheep, goats (cashmere, mohair), rabbits (angora), and alpacas.
- Silk is produced by silkworms, which are typically killed during harvesting. Silk also carries one of the highest environmental footprints of any textile, partly because maintaining the constant temperatures silkworms require consumes large amounts of energy.
- Down is the insulating underfeathers of ducks and geese, used in jackets, pillows, and comforters.
- Fur and exotic skins (snakeskin, crocodile) are also non-vegan.
- Ivory and bone buttons still appear on some garments. Corozo, sometimes called vegetable ivory, is a plant-based alternative carved from palm seeds.
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Animal-derived ingredients are common in beauty products. Tallow, which is rendered animal fat, serves as a base in many soaps, moisturizers, and lip balms. It also appears under less recognizable names in cosmetics formulations. Lanolin, a waxy substance from sheep’s wool, is a frequent ingredient in lip products, lotions, and hair conditioners. Beeswax shows up in balms, mascaras, and candles. Squalene, historically sourced from shark liver oil, is used in some moisturizers and sunscreens, though plant-derived squalane (from olives or sugarcane) has become more common.
Beyond ingredients, animal testing is another concern for vegans. A product can contain entirely plant-based ingredients but still be tested on animals. Labels saying “cruelty-free” address testing, while “vegan” addresses ingredients. They aren’t interchangeable.
Surprising Gray Areas
Some foods spark debate even within vegan communities. Figs are a well-known example. Certain fig varieties are pollinated by tiny wasps that enter the fruit, lose their wings, lay eggs, and die inside. The fig’s enzymes then break down the wasp entirely. This is a natural mutualistic relationship that evolved over millions of years, not a case of deliberate animal exploitation, so most vegans consider figs perfectly fine to eat.
White sugar is another gray area in some countries. Some cane sugar refineries use bone char (charred animal bones) as a decolorizing filter. The bone char doesn’t end up in the final product, but it’s part of the process. Beet sugar and certified organic cane sugar don’t involve bone char. In practice, this is mainly a concern in the United States, as many other countries use different refining methods.
Certain food colorings also raise questions. While carmine is clearly insect-derived, some red and orange dyes are petroleum-based synthetics, which are technically vegan but raise separate health discussions. Reading ingredient labels carefully is the most reliable way to tell the difference.
How to Spot Non-Vegan Ingredients
Ingredient labels are your best tool, but you need to know what to look for. Watch for casein, whey, lactose, albumin (from eggs), and stearic acid (often from animal fat). The word “natural flavors” can include animal-derived compounds and offers no way to tell without contacting the manufacturer. Similarly, vitamin D3 in fortified foods is commonly sourced from lanolin in sheep’s wool, though lichen-based D3 is increasingly available.
Certified vegan logos from organizations like the Vegan Society or Vegan Action provide the quickest confirmation. Without a logo, checking ingredient lists and, when in doubt, reaching out to the company directly are the most reliable approaches.