It’s quite scary the sheer amount of animal-based and derived products that have been quietly integrated into our society and diets. The majority of the time consumers have absolutely no idea what all the weird looking words actually are. In fact, the ambiguous names usually don’t register or flag in our minds as concerning and are quickly dismissed.
It’s only upon researching the use that occurs and investigation the names that we truly see how this nightmare is a reality–that every part of an animal’s body is dismembered and broken down into a product that is utilised in everything from food, to clothes, to cleaning products, supplements, pillows and lampshades.
As most people are out shopping when looking at ingredients, the best way to utilise this list is to copy the data into an app like Evernote so that you can access it on your phone. Evernote allows for word search. Alternatively, you can also use the E Food Additives app for iOS and the Is It Vegan app to scan products while shopping. Is It Vegan is available on iOS and Android.
Animal Products
* Indicates that non-animal (synthetic, vegetable or plant/mineral-derived) versions/sources by the same name are known to exist.
- Albumen/Albumin – egg white. Use/s: food binder
- Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs)* – naturally occurring chemicals derived from fruit or milk. Use/s: cosmetics
- Ambergris – morbid concretion obtained from the intestine of the sperm whale. Use/s: perfumes and cigarettes
- Amino acids* – ‘building blocks’ of proteins
- Amniotic fluid– fluid surrounding the foetus within the placenta. Use/s: cosmetics
- Amylase* – enzyme in saliva and pancreatic juice
- Anchovy – small fish of the herring family, often an ingredient of worcester sauce and pizza toppings. Use/s: flavour enhancer
- Angora – fibre obtained from rabbits or goats. Use/s: clothing
- Aspic – savoury jelly derived from meat and fish. Use/s: glazing agent
- Astrakhan – skin of stillborn or very young lambs from a breed originating in Astrakhan, Russia. Use/s: clothing
- Beeswax* (E901) – secreted by bees to produce combs. Use/s: furniture- and and floor- polishes, candles, cosmetics
- Bone/bonemeal – animal bone. Use/s: horticultural fertiliser, bone-china ornaments, crockery, supplements
- Brawn – boiled meat, ears and tongue of pigs. Use/s: foodstuff
- Bristle – stiff animal hair, usually from pigs. Use/s: brushes
- Calcium mesoinositol hexaphosphate – Use/s: baked goods, soft drinks, processed vegetables
- Capiz -shell. Use/s: lampshades
- Carmine/carminic acid (E120) – red pigment obtained from cochineal. Use/s: food and drink dyes
- Casein – milk protein. Use/s: cheese
- Cashmere – fine wool from the cashmere goat and wild goat of Tibet. Use/s: clothing
- Castoreum – obtained from the anal sex gland of the beaver. Use/s: fixative in perfumes
- Catgut – dried and twisted intestines of the sheep or horse. Use/s: stringed musical instruments, surgical stitching
- Caviar(e) – roe of the sturgeon and other fish. Use/s: a relish
- Charcoal* – charred bone or wood. Uses: clarifying agent
- Chitin – organic base of the hard parts of insects and crustaceans e.g. shrimps, crabs. Use/s: conditioners and skin-care products, thickener and moisturiser in shampoos
- Chamois – soft leather from the skin of the chamois antelope, sheep, goats, deer etc. Use/s: cleaning cloth
- Cholecalciferol – see vitamin D3
- Cholic acid (E1000) – extracted from the bile of cows. Use/s: emulsifier
- Civet– substance scraped from glands in the anal pouch of the civet cat. Use/s: fixative in perfumes
- Cochineal (E120) – dye-stuff consisting of the dried bodies of scale insects, used for making carmine. Use/s: red food and drink colouring
- Cod-liver oil – oil extracted from the liver of cod and related fish. Use/s: food supplement
- Collagen – constituent of connective tissue which yields gelatin(e) on boiling. Use/s: cosmetics, sausage skins, supplements
- Coral – hard calcareous substance consisting of the continuous skeleton secreted by coelenterate polyps for their support and habitation. Use/s: jewellery, ornaments
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)* – controls protein synthesis/stores genetic information, found in all animal and plant cells. Use/s: cosmetics, genetically modified organisms, shampoos
- Down – underplumage of fowls (especially duck and goose). Use/s: filling quilts, pillows, sleeping bags, padded clothing
- Dripping – melted animal fat. Use/s: frying
- Eider down – small, soft feathers from the breast of the eider duck. Use/s: filling quilts
- Elastin – protein uniting muscle fibres in meat. Use/s: moisturiser in cosmetics
- Fatty acids* – organic compounds: saturated, polyunsaturated and unsaturated.
- Feather – epidermal appendage of a bird. Uses: fashion accessory, feather dusters
- Felt* – cloth made of wool, or of wool and fur or hair. Use/s: clothing
- Gelatin(e) – jelly obtained by boiling animal tissues (skin, tendons, ligaments etc.) or bones. Use/s: confectionery, biscuits, capsules, jellies, photographic film, match heads
- Glycerin(e)/glycerol (E422)* – clear, colourless liquid which may be derived from animal fats, synthesised from propylene or from fermentation of sugars. Use/s: solvent for flavours, texture improver, humectant
- Hide – animal skin (raw or tanned). Use/s: clothing and footwear, clothing accessories, upholstery
- Hyaluronate/hyaluronic/HA – molecule produced in response to testosterone and is found in the combs of poultry (roosters).
- Insulin* – pancreas of cattle, sheep or pigs. Uses: managing diabetes
- Isinglass – very pure form of gelatin(e) obtained from the air bladders of some freshwater fish, especially the sturgeon. Use/s: clarifying alcoholic drinks, jellies
- Keratin – protein found in hair, horns, hooves and feathers. Use/s: shampoos and conditioners, fertiliser
- L’cysteine hydrochloride (E920)* – manufactured from animal hair and poultry feathers or synthetically from coal tar. Use/s: shampoo, improving agent for white flour
- Lactitol (E966) – produced from milk sugar. Use/s: sweetener
- Lactose – milk sugar. Use/s: tablet filler, sweetener, carrier for flavouring agents, especially in crisps
- Lanolin(e)* – fat extracted from sheep’s wool and hide. Use/s: cleaning products, an emollient and emulsifier used in cosmetics, especially lipsticks
- Lard – fat surrounding the stomach and kidneys of pigs, sheep and cattle. Use/s: culinary
- Leather – tanned hide (mostly from cattle but also sheep, pigs, goats etc). Use/s: clothing and footwear, clothing accessories, upholstery
- Lecithin (E322)* – fatty substance found in nerve tissues, egg yolk, blood and other tissues, mainly obtained commercially from soya bean, peanut and corn. Use/s: emulsifier in baked goods and confectionery
- utein (E161(b))* – deep-yellow substance found in egg yolk, obtained commercially from marigold. Use/s: food colouring
- Lysozyme (E1105)* – enzyme which may be derived from eggs. Use/s: preservative
- Mohair – cloth or yarn made from the hair of the angora goat. Use/s: clothing
- Musk* – substance secreted by glands of the male musk deer. Use/s: perfume
- Oleic acid* – fatty acid occurring in animal and vegetable fats. Use/s: soaps, cosmetics, ointments
- Oleoic oil – liquid obtained from pressed tallow. Use/s: margarines
- Oleostearin – solid obtained from pressed tallow. Use/s: soap and candles
- Oestrogen* – female sex hormone from cow ovaries or pregnant mares’ urine. Use/s: cosmetics, body-building supplements, hormone creams
- Parchment* – skin of the calf, sheep or goat, dressed and prepared for writing etc.
- Pearl (‘Mother of’, or ‘cultured’) – concretion of layers of pain-dulling nacre formed around a foreign particle within the shell of various bivalve molluscs, principally the oyster. Use/s: jewellery and decorative
- Pepsin – enzyme found in gastric juices. Use/s: cheese making
- Placenta – organ by which the foetus is attached to the umbilical cord. Use/s: cosmetics
- Progesterone* – sex hormone. Use/s: hormone creams
- Propolis – bee glue, used by bees to stop up crevices and fix combs to the hive. Use/s: toiletries and cosmetics
- Rennet* – extract of calf stomach containing the enzyme rennin which clots milk. Use/s: cheese, junkets
- Reticulin – one of the structural elements (together with elastin and collagen) of skeletal muscle
- Ribonucleic acid (RNA)* – see deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
- Roe – eggs obtained from the abdomen of female fish. Use/s: a relish
- Royal jelly – food on which bee larvae are fed and which causes them to develop into queen bees. Use/s: food supplement
- Sable – fur from the sable marten, a small carnivorous mammal. Use/s: clothing, artists’ brushes
- Shellac (E904) – insect secretion. Use/s: hair spray, lip sealer, polishes, glazing agent
- Silk – cloth made from the fibre produced by the larvae (silk worm) of certain bombycine moths, the harvesting of which entails killing the insect. Use/s: clothing, cosmetics
- Sodium 5’-inosinate – occurs naturally in muscle, prepared from fish waste. Use/s: flavour enhancer
- Sperm oil – oil found in the head of various species of whale. Use/s: candles
- Spermaceti wax – fatty substance found mainly in the head of whales and dolphins. Use/s: medicines, candles, cosmetics
- Sponge* – aquatic animal or colony of animals, characterised by a tough elastic skeleton of interlaced fibres. Use/s: bathing aid
- Squalene/squalane* – found in the liver of the shark (and rats). Use/s: toiletries and cosmetics
- Stearate* – salt of stearic acid. Use/s: body-building supplements
- Stearic acid (E570)* – organic acid prepared from stearin
- Stearin(e)* – general name for the three glycerides (monostearin, distearin, tristearin), formed by the combination of stearic acid and glycerin; chiefly applied to tristearin, which is the main constituent of tallow and suet. Use/s: medicines, skin softener in toiletries and cosmetics
- Suede* – kid-, pig- or calf-skin, tanned. Use/s: clothing and footwear
- Suet* – solid fat prepared from the kidneys of cattle and sheep. Use/s: cooking
- Tallow – hard animal fat, especially that obtained from the parts around the kidneys of ruminants. Use/s: soap, candles
- Taurine* – amino acid
- Testosterone* – male hormone. Use/s: body-building supplements
- Urea* – nitrogenous waste formed in the liver and excreted by the kidneys. Use/s: toiletries and cosmetics
- Vellum* – fine parchment prepared from the skins of calves, lambs or kids. Use/s: writing material
- Vitamin A*(retinol) – derived from fish-liver oil or egg yolk. Use/s: cosmetics, food supplement
- Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) – vitamin derived from lanolin or fish oil. Use/s: vitamin and food supplements
- Velvet* – fabric made of silk, cotton, rayon or nylon. Use/s: clothing
- Volaise – ostrich meat
- Whey – residue from milk after the removal of the casein and most of the fat, by-product of cheese making. Use/s: margarines, biscuits, crisps, cleaning products
- Wool – hair forming the fleecy coat of the domesticated sheep and similar animals. Use/s: clothing including felt, mattresses.
Animal Additives
Animal-Derived
- E120 (CI75470) carmine/cochineal
- E542 edible bone phosphate
- E901 beeswax
- E904 shellac
- E913 Lanolin
- E966 Lactitol
- E1000 Cholic Acid
- E1105 Lysozyme
- Calcium mesoinositol hexaphosphate
- Lactose
- Sperm oil
- Spermaceti
Possibly Animal-Derived
- E101 riboflavin, lactoflavin, vitamin B2
- E101a riboflavin 5’-phosphate
- E153 (believed animal-free version only may be used in food) carbon black, vegetable carbon
- E161(b) lutein
- E161(g) canthaxanthin
- E236 formic acid
- E237 sodium formate
- E238 calcium formate
- E304 Fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate and ascorbyl stearate
- E322 lecithin
- E325 sodium lactate
- E326 potassium lactate
- E327 calcium lactate
- E304 fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate and ascorbyl stearate
- E422 glycerol (glycerine)
- E430 polyoxyethylene (8) stearate, polyoxyl (8) stearate
- E431 polyoxyethylene (40) stearate, polyoxyl (40) stearate
- E432 polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, polysorbate 20, tween 20
- E433 polyoxyethylene sorbitan mono-oleate, polysorbate 80, tween 80
- E434 polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate, polysorbate 40, tween 40
- E435polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60, tween 60
- E436 polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate, polysorbate 65, tween 65
- E442 glycerol
- E470(a) sodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids
- E470(b) magnesium salts of fatty acids
- E471 glycerides of fatty acids, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl distearate
- E472(a) acetic acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids, acetoglycerides, glycerol esters
- E472(b) lactic acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids, lactylated glycerides, lactoglycerides
- E472(c) citric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids
- E472(d) tartaric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids
- E472(e) mono and diacetyltartaric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids
- E472(f) mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
- E473 sucrose esters of fatty acids
- E474 sucroglycerides
- E475 polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
- E476 polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids of castor oil, polyglycerol polyricinoleate; polyglycerol esters of dimerised fatty acids of soya bean oil
- E477 propylene glycol esters of fatty acids; propane-1,2-diol esters of fatty acids
- E478 lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propane-1,2-diol
- E479(b) thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
- E481 sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate
- E482 calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate
- E483 stearyl tartrate
- E491 sorbitan monostearate
- E492 sorbitan tristearate, span 65
- E493 sorbitan monolaurate, span 20
- E494 sorbitan mono-oleate, span 80
- E495 sorbitan monopalmitate, span 40
- E570 fatty acids (including myristic, stearic, palmitic and oleic), butyl stearate
- E572 magnesium salts of fatty acids (including magnesium stearate); calcium stearate
- E585 ferrous lactate
- E626 guanylic acid
- E627 guanosine 5’-disodium phosphate, sodium guanylate, disodium guanylate
- E628 dipotassium guanylate
- E628 calcium guanylate
- E631 inosine 5’-disodium phosphate, sodium 5’-inosinate
- E632 dipotassium inosinate
- E633 calcium inosinate
- E634 calcium 5’-ribonucleotides
- E635 disodium 5’-ribonucleotides
- E635 sodium 5’-ribonucleotide
- E640 glycine and its sodium salt
- E631 disodium 5’-inosinate (IMP)
- E920 L-cysteine hydrochloride
- E921 L-cystine
- E1518 glyceryl mono-, di- and tri-acetate (triacetin)
- Calcium heptonate
- Calcium phytate
- Diacetin
- Glyceryl
- Leucine
- Monoacetin
- Oxystearin
- and any unspecified flavourings
Lactic acid as an additive is highly unlikely to be derived from dairy (in general commercial terms, 100% of the commercial market is from vegan sources) but if you want to be positive, you should contact the manufacturer.
Animal-Derived Carriers
Some additives that are not animal derived may involve the use of gelatine as a carrier. These include E104 quinoline yellow, E160a(i) mixed carotenes and E160a(ii) β-carotene.
A Guide to Animal Products and Additives | Shellethics