Quick verdicts on 144+ common ingredients

Albumin

Albumin is egg white protein (or sometimes blood/serum protein). Not vegan.

Anchovies

Anchovies are small fish. Not vegan — and they hide in many foods.

Angora

Angora is fiber from angora rabbits. Not vegan.

Bacon

Bacon is cured pork belly. Not vegan.

Bee Pollen

Bee pollen is collected from bees' legs. Not vegan.

Beef/Chicken Broth

Meat broths are made from animal bones. Not vegan.

Beeswax

E901

Beeswax is produced by bees to build honeycomb. Not vegan.

Beeswax (E901)

E901

Beeswax is produced by honey bees. Not vegan.

Bone Phosphate (E542)

E542

E542 is extracted from defatted animal bones. Not vegan.

Butter

Butter is churned cream from cow's milk. Not vegan.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is cultured cow's milk. Not vegan.

Caesar Dressing

Classic Caesar contains anchovies, egg yolk and Parmesan. Not vegan.

Carmine

E120

Carmine is a red dye made by crushing cochineal insects. Not vegan.

Casein

Casein is the main protein in cow's milk. Not vegan.

Casein Fining

Some white wines are clarified with milk casein. Not vegan.

Cashmere

Cashmere is combed from cashmere goats. Not vegan.

Castoreum

Castoreum is a vanilla-like flavouring from beaver scent glands. Not vegan (though rarely used today).

Castoreum (in 'natural flavors')

Castoreum is a secretion from beaver glands, occasionally used in 'natural vanilla flavor'. Not vegan.

Caviar

Caviar is fish eggs. Not vegan.

Chondroitin

Chondroitin is extracted from animal cartilage. Not vegan.

Cochineal

E120

Cochineal is the insect that carmine is extracted from. Same thing, same answer: not vegan.

Cochineal (E120 / Carmine / Carminic Acid)

E120

E120 is a red dye made by crushing cochineal scale insects. Not vegan.

Collagen

Collagen comes from animal bones, skin and fish scales. Not vegan.

Condensed Milk

Sweetened condensed milk is dairy + sugar. Not vegan.

Down & Feathers

Down comes from ducks and geese. Not vegan.

E441 — Gelatin (additive code)

E441

E441 is the EU additive code for gelatin. Not vegan.

Egg White / Albumin Fining

Many red wines are clarified with egg whites. Not vegan.

Egg Yolk

Egg yolk is the yellow part of an egg. Not vegan.

Eggs

Eggs are animal products. Not vegan, including 'cage-free' and backyard eggs.

Elastin

Elastin is extracted from animal connective tissue. Not vegan.

Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is fermented anchovies. Not vegan.

Fur

Fur is animal skin with hair attached. Not vegan.

Gelatin

Gelatin is made by boiling animal bones, skin and connective tissue. Not vegan.

Ghee

Ghee is clarified butter — pure dairy fat. Not vegan.

Ham

Ham is cured pork. Not vegan.

Honey

Honey is produced by bees and most vegans do not consider it vegan because it is an animal product and commercial beekeeping harms bees.

Honeycomb

Honeycomb contains both honey and beeswax, neither of which is vegan.

Isinglass

Isinglass is a fining agent from fish bladders used to clarify beer and wine. Not vegan.

Keratin

Keratin in haircare comes from feathers, wool or horns. Not vegan.

Krill Oil

Krill oil is harvested from tiny Antarctic crustaceans. Not vegan and ecologically destructive.

Lactose

Lactose is milk sugar. Not vegan.

Lanolin (E913)

E913

Lanolin is grease combed from sheep's wool. Not vegan.

Lard

Lard is rendered pork fat. Not vegan.

Leather

Leather is animal skin. Not vegan.

Lysozyme (E1105)

E1105

E1105 is extracted from chicken egg whites. Not vegan.

Milk

Dairy milk from cows, goats or sheep is not vegan.

Mohair

Mohair is fleece from angora goats. Not vegan.

Omega-3 from Fish Oil

Fish-oil omega-3 is an animal product. Algae oil delivers the same EPA/DHA without fish.

Pearl

Pearls form inside oysters or mussels. Most vegans avoid them.

Pepsin

Pepsin is extracted from pig stomachs. Not vegan.

Propolis

Propolis is 'bee glue' used to seal hives. Not vegan.

Ricotta

Ricotta is whey cheese from cow, sheep or buffalo milk. Not vegan.

Royal Jelly

Royal jelly is a bee secretion fed to queen bees. Not vegan.

Schmaltz

Schmaltz is rendered chicken or goose fat. Not vegan.

Shellac

E904

Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug. Not vegan.

Shellac (E904)

E904

E904 is the additive code for shellac, a resin from lac insects. Not vegan.

Shrimp Paste

Shrimp paste is fermented shrimp. Not vegan.

Silk

Silk is made by killing silkworms inside their cocoons. Not vegan.

Sour Cream

Conventional sour cream is fermented dairy. Not vegan.

Suede

Suede is the napped underside of animal leather. Not vegan.

Suet

Suet is hard fat from around the kidneys of cattle and sheep. Not vegan.

Surimi (Imitation Crab)

Surimi is processed white fish paste shaped to imitate crab. Not vegan despite being 'imitation'.

Tallow

Tallow is rendered beef or mutton fat. Not vegan.

Whey

Whey is a milk byproduct from cheese making, so it is not vegan.

Wool

Wool is shorn from sheep. Not vegan due to industry practices and sheep slaughter.

Beer

Most modern beer is vegan, but some are filtered with isinglass (fish bladder).

Biotin (B7)

Biotin is microbially fermented or synthesized — usually vegan, but some 'natural' brands use egg yolk extract.

Bone Char

Some white sugar is filtered through cattle bone char. Beet sugar and organic cane sugar are vegan.

Bread

Most plain bread is vegan, but watch for milk, eggs, honey, L-cysteine or whey.

Cetyl Alcohol

Cetyl alcohol can be plant-derived (vegan) or from sperm whale oil (historically). Today almost always plant.

Chitosan

Chitosan from shellfish shells is not vegan. Mushroom-derived chitosan is.

Chitosan Fining

Chitosan is usually made from shellfish shells (not vegan), but fungal versions exist.

Chocolate

Dark chocolate is often vegan; milk chocolate is not. Always check the label.

Cream Cheese

Dairy cream cheese is not vegan, but plant-based versions are widely available.

Disodium 5-Ribonucleotides (E635)

E635

A 50/50 blend of E627 and E631. Vegan status depends on the E631 source.

Disodium Guanylate (E627)

E627

Like E631, originally from fish; modern E627 is usually microbial. Source rarely listed.

Disodium Inosinate (E631)

E631

E631 was historically extracted from fish or meat. Modern E631 is usually microbial. Source is rarely disclosed.

Glucosamine

Standard glucosamine is from shellfish shells. Vegan glucosamine from corn fermentation exists.

Glycerin

E422

Glycerin can be plant-derived (vegan) or animal-derived (not vegan). Labels rarely say which.

Glyceryl Stearate

Glyceryl stearate is plant- or animal-derived. Source rarely listed.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid can be from rooster combs (not vegan) or microbial fermentation (vegan).

Kefir

Traditional kefir is fermented dairy. Water kefir and coconut kefir are vegan.

Kimchi

Traditional kimchi contains fish sauce or salted shrimp. Vegan kimchi is widely available.

L-Cysteine

E920

L-cysteine is often made from human hair, duck feathers or pig bristles — but a synthetic vegan version exists.

Lanolin

Lanolin is wax extracted from sheep wool. Most vegans avoid it because of wool-industry practices.

Lecithin

E322

Soy and sunflower lecithin are vegan. Egg lecithin is not.

Lipase

Lipase can be from animal pancreas or fungal/microbial. Source rarely listed.

Mayonnaise

Classic mayo contains egg yolks. Vegan mayo is widely available.

Mono- and Diglycerides

E471

Emulsifiers that can come from plant or animal fats. Source is rarely disclosed.

Natural Flavors

'Natural flavors' is a catch-all that can include animal-derived ingredients like castoreum or beef extract.

Omega-3 (Fish Oil)

Fish-oil omega-3 is not vegan. Algae-based omega-3 is.

Oyster Sauce

Traditional oyster sauce uses oyster extracts. Vegetarian 'mushroom oyster sauce' is vegan.

Refined White Sugar

Some US cane sugar is filtered through bone char. Beet sugar and most non-US cane sugar are vegan.

Rennet

Animal rennet comes from calf stomachs. Microbial and vegetable rennet are vegan.

Retinol (Vitamin A)

Synthetic retinol in skincare is vegan; fish-liver retinyl palmitate is not.

Squalene

Squalene was historically harvested from shark liver. Plant-derived squalane is now common and vegan.

Stearic Acid

Stearic acid can be plant- or animal-derived. Source rarely listed.

Vitamin D3

Most vitamin D3 is made from lanolin (sheep wool), but vegan D3 from lichen exists.

Wax on Fruit

Fruit wax can be carnauba (vegan), beeswax or shellac (not vegan). Labels are vague.

White Sugar

U.S. cane sugar may be filtered through bone char. Beet sugar and organic cane sugar are vegan.

Wine

Many wines are fined with egg whites, casein, gelatin or isinglass. Look for vegan-certified wine.

Worcestershire Sauce

Traditional Worcestershire contains anchovies. Vegan versions exist.

Agar-Agar

E406

Agar-agar is made from seaweed. Always vegan.

Agave Nectar

Agave nectar is plant-derived. Always vegan.

Allantoin

Cosmetic allantoin is synthesized or from comfrey root. Always vegan in modern products.

Amylase

Industrial amylase is almost always microbial. Vegan.

Annatto

E160b

Annatto is a yellow-orange dye from the achiote tree. Always vegan.

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C, E300)

E300

Commercial vitamin C is fermented from corn glucose. Vegan.

Aspartame

E951

Aspartame is synthetic. Vegan (though sometimes debated due to historical animal testing).

Beetroot Red (E162)

E162

Beetroot red is pigment from beets. Always vegan.

Bentonite Clay (Wine Fining)

Bentonite is a mineral clay used to clarify wine. Always vegan.

Beta-Carotene (E160a)

E160a

Beta-carotene used as a coloring is plant- or microbial-derived. Vegan.

Brown Rice Syrup

Brown rice syrup is enzymatically converted starch from brown rice. Vegan.

Carnauba Wax (E903)

E903

Carnauba is harvested from the leaves of a Brazilian palm. Vegan.

Carrageenan

E407

Carrageenan is extracted from red seaweed. Vegan, though controversial for digestive health.

Chlorophyll (E140)

E140

Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants. Always vegan.

Citric Acid

E330

Citric acid is fermented from sugar by Aspergillus mold. Always vegan.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is pure plant fat. Always vegan.

Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is made from coconut palm sap. Always vegan.

Dimethicone

Dimethicone is a synthetic silicone. Always vegan.

Erythritol

E968

Erythritol is a fermented sugar alcohol. Always vegan.

Gellan Gum

E418

Gellan gum is bacterial fermentation. Always vegan.

Guar Gum

E412

Guar gum is ground from guar beans. Always vegan.

Gum Arabic

E414

Gum arabic is tree sap from acacia. Always vegan.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

HFCS is made from corn. Always vegan.

Kieselsol

Kieselsol is colloidal silica. Vegan.

Lactic Acid

E270

Industrial lactic acid is made by fermenting plants. Despite the name, vegan.

Locust Bean Gum

E410

Locust bean gum is from carob tree seeds. Always vegan.

Maple Syrup

Pure maple syrup is plant sap. Always vegan.

Monk Fruit

Monk fruit extract is plant-derived. Always vegan.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)

E621

MSG is fermented from plant sources. Always vegan.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast — fully vegan and a B12 source.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is pressed from olives. Always vegan.

Palm Oil

Palm oil is plant-based and technically vegan, but its environmental harm leads many vegans to avoid it.

Pectin

E440

Pectin is a plant fiber from fruit. Always vegan.

Riboflavin (B2 / E101)

E101

Riboflavin used as yellow coloring is bacterial-fermentation derived. Vegan.

Seitan

Seitan is made from wheat gluten. Always vegan.

Soy Lecithin

E322

Soy lecithin is a plant-derived emulsifier. Always vegan.

Stevia

E960

Stevia is a plant-leaf extract. Always vegan.

Tempeh

Tempeh is fermented whole soybeans. Always vegan.

Tofu

Tofu is soybean curd. Always vegan.

Vegetable Shortening

Modern vegetable shortening (Crisco, Trex) is fully plant-based. Vegan.

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)

B12 in supplements is bacterial fermentation. Always vegan.

Xanthan Gum

E415

Xanthan gum is fermented from bacteria on corn. Always vegan.