Vegan and non-animal tested cosmetics in the UK

[riotgrrrl]

Hi Animal testing for cosmetic purposes was banned by the EU in 2009 and yet there are only a few companies listed as "vegan" on places like the animal friendly shopper- is this because of some hidden animal ingredients (and if so, what?) or is there something I'm not getting?

[twinkle]

Lanolin and beeswax (cera alba) and related ingredients seem to turn up a lot in cosmetics, and carmine (cochineal) is in a lot of lipsticks. Also, I guess some companies might want to chop and change their formulas so are cagey about saying things are vegan even if they happen to be at that point in time?

[VeganZee]

I have spent a lot of time in the past ringing companies up and asking them about the ingredients in their cosmetics/toiletries and one thing they often say is that as they source from different places at different times some ingredients that can be either plant or animal based (like glycerol for example) mean that they can't actually be sure whether the product is animal free or not. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.