Household Horrors

Are your Cleaning Products Vegan?

What do you think goes into your household products? You might think of water, chemicals you can’t spell, maybe scents and fragrances. You probably wouldn’t think about animal products – including rendered fat. However, there are a host of animal products in all sorts of your everyday household cleaning products.

Even for people who eat meat, this is often an unwelcome discovery. We want to feel that the things we use to clean our homes are themselves clean, and learning that animal fat is what makes their clothes feel soft after a wash is sobering for anyone.

That’s why we’ve put together a guide to the hidden household horrors you might not have known about. In it, you will learn about which animal products often feature in your household goods, and which types of products contain which animal-based ingredients.

Did you know?

Animal Testing has been banned for household products since 2015, but this doesn’t mean no animals are harmed in the making of your cleaning supplies.

What animal products are in cleaning products?

Many ingredients in your household cleaning products are not suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Which ingredients in your cleaning supplies are made from animal ingredients?

Beeswax

Beeswax is used in a wide variety of cleaning and household products – most notably in floor and furniture polish. It is used to give wooden surfaces a natural protective layer and shine. However, with bee populations declining, harvesting beeswax is harmful to hives.

Glycerol, Stearic Acid, Tallow

All of these are used to clean stains when used in soap. However, they are all made from animal fats – Tallow being rendered from the fat of cows and sheep.

Lanolin

Lanolin is a type of natural grease that is formed in woolly animals like sheep. All sorts of products use this, including moisturisers, detergents, polish and more. 

Lecithin

Lecithin is often produced from soy and sunflower. However, it is also often derived from animal flesh, milk or eggs. It  is used to stabilise emulsifications as well as protect surfaces.

Caprylic Acid

Used in a massive variety of products, Caprylic Acid comes from compounds that form in the milk of mammals – cows, sheep and the like. It has antifungal and antibacterial qualities, and is therefore used in sanitizers and disinfectants.

Floor Wash

Washing your floor shouldn’t require you to spread rendered animal fat all over it. Unfortunately, many known brand floor cleaning products contain tallow, glycerol, lanolin, beeswax or stearic acid. They might also contain oleyl alcohols – derived from fish.

Clothes Softener

When you’re cleaning your clothes, you want to feel that they are actually coming out of the machine feeling cleaner. Would you still feel that if you knew they were covered in animal fat? Tallow is often in fabric softener, even though vegetable fat works just as well. Unfortunately, this is a cost issue. Sodium Tallowate often appears on ingredients lists, using terminology that obscures the reality – most fabric softeners are full of animal fat.

Perfume

Animal products have a long history of use in the world of perfumes. While some animal products are only used in expensive body perfumes – such as musk, civet and ambergris – there are still many animal derived ingredients used under the vague ingredient of ‘fragrance’. This might be honey or beeswax; it might also be a range of animal-derived fixatives.

Did you know?

‘Cruelty Free’ doesn’t mean that animals weren’t harmed – it just means that it wasn’t tested on animals. Cruelty Free products can still contain animal by-products.

vegetarian and vegan household cleaning products

Ecoleaf by Suma – Dishwasher Tablets

For all those hands that don’t do dishes give these new eco-friendly dishwasher tablets a try.

Made using ingredients derived from plant extracts from sustainable sources they’re natural biodegradable and safer for the environment. A built in rinse aid degreasing action and powerful cleaning agents will leave your glasses and dishes sparkling. The inner film coating dissolves in your dishwasher and the outer cardboard packaging is also recyclable.

Ecoleaf by Suma – Palm Dish Washing Brush

It’s not just the cleaning products you need to think about – accessories matter too. Last year, Ecoleaf teamed up with @bambuubrush to launch sustainable, zero-waste kitchen brushes. Did you know disposable kitchen sponges release millions of microplastics as they wear down? By switching to bamboo, you can cut out the plastic.

Amazingly bamboo trees release more oxygen than most trees, absorb more carbon dioxide, require no pesticides and minimal water – making it a low-impact crop that benefits the environment. With proper care, products can last for years. It’s strong, durable, lightweight, naturally antibacterial and super sustainable, growing up to three feet in a day.

Ecoleaf Dishwasher Tablets All In One

These plant-based, biodegradable Ecoleaf All In One Dishwasher Tablets leave your glasses, cutlery, and crockery sparkling clean, with a light hint of zesty apple. Their powerful plant based formula is cruelty free certified, fully biodegradable, and comes without individual wrapping for more conscious, waste free cleaning.

Free from Phosphates, Triclosan, SLS, Formaldehyde, Glycerine, Artificial colours, Enzymes, Methylisothiazolinone (MI).

In March 2026, Ecoleaf were awarded Best Vegan Cleaning Brand by Vegan Food and Living Magazine. 

Eco Green Living – Laundry Sheets

Eco Green Living Laundry Detergent Sheets offer a sustainable, plastic-free way to wash your clothes.  

These non-bio, plant-based sheets are certified compostable and come in both lavender and unscented options.

Dermatologically tested and rated “Excellent” by Dermatest®, they are suitable for sensitive skin and ideal for households looking to reduce plastic waste.

Certification marks for vegan and vegetarian cleaning products

Certification marks, like those offered by the Vegetarian Society, allow consumers to easily know which products match their ethics and lifestyles. To learn more about our certifications and how they help customers choose the products for them, visit our trademark guide.

The Vegetarian Society is at the forefront of making it clear which products are vegetarian or vegan – so that consumers like you know if they are buying cleaning products that contain animals.