A frank note on beeswax and a vegan lifestyle
We do not market BeeKiss'd as vegan because beeswax is an animal product. Here is the longer answer.
A lot of beeswax-based brands quietly badge themselves as vegan. We do not, and we want to be straightforward about why.
Beeswax is an animal product
Beeswax is made by bees. By any reasonable definition that puts it outside a strictly vegan diet or lifestyle. As a beekeeper-run business we think honesty about that matters more than catching another search term.
Why we still make it
Comb replacement is now considered best practice in modern beekeeping - the wax accumulates pesticide residues and pathogens over time, so changing it out periodically is good for the colony. The wax that comes out of that process is the wax we use. From a beekeeping welfare point of view it is genuinely a by-product of looking after the bees properly.
What is and is not in the balm
Other than the beeswax, every part of the balm is plant-based:
- Sweet almond oil as the carrier oil
- Pure essential oils for scent
- Plant-derived natural pigments (annatto seed, beetroot)
- No carmine, no lanolin, no other animal-derived ingredients
- Never tested on animals at any stage of production or sourcing
If you would rather a fully plant-based balm
Completely fair, and we would still rather you got a balm that fits your principles than buy one of ours. If you want something close in spirit, look for a plant-based balm built on candelilla or carnauba wax. They are fewer and further between, but the good ones are very good.
