Vegan Forum

Is that true that botulinum toxin (botox) is made of pigs so it is not sutable for vegetarians and vegans?

Whatever it is made from, I wouldn't touch the stuff! Who would inject themselves with a poison to paralyse their muscles? It's crazy! And people who have botox look really false and unnatural!

Wrinkles and laughter lines look nice I understand the need to have some beauty treatments (and believe me, I resent belonging to a society that pressures me to use them!) but you can create a pleasing look by adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating right, using natural colorants and caring for your skin/nails/hair...

Most vegans are health-conscious and lead a generally natural life, so I can't imagine that many would be interested in botox.

Wouldn't it be better to ban mens' magazines and porn films, and beat all men round the head until they decide to get married to normal girls?! Then we won't have to stay looking 17 forever

Nothing can replace botox. Any healthy living or creams or something else can't make wrinkles so invisable as botox. Thats why this is so bad. And as you said most vegans and vegetarians live natural life style so botox won't be sutable for vegans for a long time because most of them doesn't need that. That means that only natural living people will want to be vegans and vegetarians. So I am in panic!

Don't panic, Evut! Are you thinking of having botox? Or are you in a community where it is widely used?

Healthy living CAN significantly slow the ageing process - Smoking, sun, poor diet and lack of water all damage the skin. Most anti-aging creams have sunscreen as their active ingredient If you look at old dancers, they are often utterly beautiful even with their grey hair and wrinkles.

In addition, there are other "treatments" like chemical peels and collagen fillers. Ultimately, I do not think that any of these treatments (botox included) can undo the effects of age.

In my community, only celebrities and rich people have botox. Most people will think you are very vain, odd and stupid if you have botox Of course, my mothers' generation felt the same way about deodorant and hair dye Let us hope that botox does not become so common place

There is a big debate here. Why should ANY intelligent, talented person feel the need to inject themselves or have surgery to look like a doll? It is this culture of looking young forever that is at fault. Eventually the treatments will become so repulsive that women will reject them. Maybe we will have a liberation movement, in the same way that women liberated themselves from corsets and bras?

[And once people become more interested in healthy living, maybe they will start to think more seriously about becoming vegetarian? ]

This is so true everything what are you saying about healthy life style but I don't even compare botox with that. Botox only eliminate wrinkles not slowing aging it self but it eliminate existing wrinkles perfectaly! What else can do it? There are few things that can make similar efects but I think botox is still the best. It is not important what life style person is living but sooner or later he still will have wrinkles. I personaly don't need botox yet but in 25 may be I wish to have it. Why not? What can be bad about looking young? Any way, I personaly will need botox may be after 10 years or may be not but for some people it can be a huge problam. And I really don't know what to do for not natural living vegans and me in the very not near future.

To answer your question, I just downloaded a PDF from the botox website and there is albumin in it but, it specifies that it is human albumin, not chicken egg albumin. So sweetie, if you want to get rid of your wrinkles and are worried about injecting animal parts into your face you should be fine. Only thing is, I did find one site that recommends people with egg allergies should stay away from botox. Perhaps that article is older and botox used to use chicken albumin but have now switched?

To everyone else:
I don't mean to sound nasty but skirting around the issue doesn't mean that some people wouldn't still want botox. It is unfortunate that we live in a superficial society and that we get wrinkles but the answer to the question is not "Oh, what vegan would want botox anyway?" That is not being very supportive. That's like a gay catholic trying to talk to his mother about being gay and instead of being supportive and talking about safe sex, she says "Sweetie, god doesn't believe in being gay."

I am vegan, I have forehead lines, I get botox, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Ccvegan, that is great! Thanks

Hi ccvegan, I’ve given your post some careful thought

First, there is no “everyone else” – just me making these comments. I do not speak for the rest of the community, and I have a biased agenda Plus, I am under no obligation to be supportive: this is a discussion board, and I am discussing!

I disagree that I am skirting around the issue. Being vegan is often a lifestyle, which usually centres on a deep respect for animals and the environment, and a desire to stop unnecessary cruelty. Most vegans are also very concerned about their health and well-being.

I am not saying that having botox is wrong or right. I am saying that it doesn't make sense, and when things don't make sense we need to discuss them!
1) it doesn’t make sense [to me] to disrespect and be cruel to your own body, while you campaign to protect other animals.
2) it doesn't make sense [to me] to worry about the toxins in your food, and then inject toxins into your own face!

If you are prepared to stand up against society for animals and the environment, why aren’t you prepared to stand up for yourself?

To use your example of the gay catholic, of course his mother should discuss all the implications of his lifestyle with him: there is a mid-ground where she can be supportive and discuss the whole issue (including what she believes God will think - I imagine this would be important to a young catholic man) Being gay isn’t just about sex, and being vegan isn’t just about whether something is animal-free. It is wise to think about why you choose to live this way, and what ultimately makes you happy and fulfilled.

Evut, I am sure you are really pretty and lovely and have lots to offer the world – everybody gets wrinkles, and they are nothing to be scared of Please don’t end up looking like Cher or Jackie Stallone!

I was searching on the internet for Botox, came across this forum and felt I had to reply.

Believe me the presence or absence of egg albumin in Botox should be the least of your worries as a vegan/vegetarian.
Each batch of the product is first tested on mice. This does not just mean there are wrinkle free mice out there. It is tested using an LD50 test (this is the only way they can quantify exactly how much toxin there is in each batch). The LD stands for lethal dose. Basically they see how much toxin they need to inject to kill 50% of the mice they test. The mice that die, die from botulism....not a very pleasant death. Many other mice who don't die will be paralysed by the toxin.
I know this because many years ago I worked in a laboratory looking for alternatives for this test for use in science and in the food industry (where they use it to ensure food does not give us botulism and kill us). Cosmetic Botox still uses the LD50 test on mice.

Wrinkles are part of growing old and whether we like it or not, one day, they will appear on our skin and face.
I might need it in 10 years or so, but at the moment, I am doing my best to take good care of my skin, specifically my face.
I don't smoke, I don't drink alcohol and I maintain a healthy lifestyle. I'm not actually vegan, but I'm a vegetarian.
I don't know if I will ever try botox when I get those dreaded wrinkles, but I'm sure it is very bad for you...

Botox is not made from animals. The ingredient is manufactured from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. You are thinking of porcine collagen injections (which are dermal fillers derived from the hide of pigs). There’s also bovine (form the hide of cows) However, animal collagen injections are being phased out because of the high risk of allergic reaction.

However, using Botox is still cruel to animals. The cost of your short term beauty is paid for by thousands of mice who are subjected to testing, suffering and death by the manufacturers. Each batch of Botox is tested by injecting a sample into the abdomen of mice. They suffer paralysis, impaired vision and respiratory distress. They suffer for three to four days before they die from suffocation.

Botox indeed involves cruelty to animals as most cosmetics or pharmaceuticals do.

Love yourself more and avoid any unnatural animal tested things. There are many easy and inexpensive ways to stay beautiful. most importantly- learn to relax your face. Incapacity to do so is a shortcut to wrinkles.

Dacite wrote: Botox indeed involves cruelty to animals as most cosmetics or pharmaceuticals do.

Love yourself more and avoid any unnatural animal tested things. There are many easy and inexpensive ways to stay beautiful. most importantly- learn to relax your face. Incapacity to do so is a shortcut to wrinkles.

i agree, however you can't blame others. things aren't the same with you are with their shoes. it's a matter of choice.

^ eh?

I'm greatly saddened by reading about the use of animal testing for Botox. For that reason alone, why use it? Not that one can avoid all vivisection, but glaring ones such as the botox would behoove vegans to forego it. It's terrible when vanity causes animals to suffer, such as mink ranches, etc.


While i love her humor, whew, Joan rivers sure looks fake big time. Her face looks like a mask. Whereas, a woman I know who is in her late 80's is beautiful. Her face is lovely despite wrinkles. Wrinkles don't have to equal ugly.

I do hope you guys know that the uses for Botox are not strictly cosmetic, right?