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    Home » Holidays

    What to avoid when buying gifts for vegans

    Published: Dec 16, 2019 · Modified: Nov 10, 2022 by Cadry Nelson
    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pile of wrapped Christmas presents.

    If you have vegans on your holiday list this year, here’s a handy resource of what to avoid when buying gifts for them. Vegans don’t use anything that comes from an animal or includes animal byproducts. Some of the items on the list may surprise you! 

    Hands holding a wrapped Christmas present.

    This time of year there’s no shortage of gift idea lists. But what about ideas of what not to buy?

    If you have any vegans on your list, you may be wondering what they do and do not want under the tree for them.

    This may be confusing at first. I mean, obviously, you’re not going to wrap up a cheeseburger for them. But there’s a lot more that comes with a vegan lifestyle.

    Vegans eschew meat (including fish), dairy, eggs, and honey. They also avoid things that include animal byproducts. 

    Below you’ll find a list of what to look for when buying gifts for them, what to avoid, how to find out if it’s vegan-appropriate, and why they don’t use it in the first place.

    What NOT to buy when getting gifts for vegans

    Pile of wrapped Christmas presents.

    Leather or suede goods

    In addition to not consuming animals, vegans don’t wear the skins of animals either.

    Check labels on purses, shoes, jewelry, and luggage. On shoes, the materials are usually noted on the tongue, at the back of the shoe, or on the bottom.

    Stay away from leather, leather trim and patches. Instead look for words like cotton, manmade, synthetic, or vegan leather.

    Why do vegans avoid leather?

    Cows, pigs, sheep, and goats are killed by the millions every year for their skin. After suffering things like castration and branding (without anesthetic), the animals are trucked to slaughter.

    Sadly, the softest leather comes from baby animals like calves and lambs, and even from unborn calves whose mothers have been slaughtered.

    Tag on hat that shows it contains wool.

    Wool, cashmere & non-synthetic felt

    Vegans don’t wear clothing made with an animal’s hair. Stay away from cashmere, pashina, mohair, angora, camel hair, and shearling.

    Check the labels of sweaters, scarves, mittens, and coats. You’ll usually find the label either at the back of the neck or alongside the body of the clothing.

    Felt can either be made with synthetic materials or with wool. Just check the label before buying.

    Look for cotton, polyester, acrylic, or synthetic instead.

    Why do they avoid products made with animal hair?

    While many assume that the process of wool removal is a simple hair cut, the process is often done with an emphasis on quickness over compassion.

    It can include painful procedures like tail docking and mulesing. When the wool production of sheep declines, they are sent to slaughter.

    Sweater with tag showing it contains wool. Avoid wool when buying gifts for vegans.

    Down or items with feathers

    When looking at coats, cushions, comforters, or pillows, stay away from those stuffed with down. Avoid accessories with feathers.

    Look for labels like polyester-fill, cotton, synthetic, or down-alternative instead.

    Why do they avoid items with feathers?

    Geese and ducks are plucked either after slaughter or while they are still alive. During “live plucking,” the birds’ feathers are painfully ripped out of their bodies while they are held down without anesthetic.

    Napkin with napkin ring and two candles on table.

    Bee products

    Vegans avoid animal byproducts, including bee products like honey or beeswax.

    Some candles, body products, cosmetics, shampoos, and conditioners include things like beeswax or honey.

    Just a quick reading of the label on the outside will let you know if it contains those products or not. It’s easy to find alternatives that don’t include bee products instead.

    Why do they avoid honey & other bee products?

    Bees make honey by regurgitating nectar. They then store it in the cells of their hive as a source of nutrition in winter months.

    Vegans avoid honey and other bee products, because those products don’t belong to them. They belong to the bees.

    Vegetable gyoza in broth with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and kale.

    Bone china

    Before buying plates, bowls, or cups, remember to flip them over and check the bottom for the words “bone china.” Instead, choose porcelain or earthenware.

    Why do they avoid bone china?

    As the name implies, bone china is made from the ash of burned animal bones. 

    Necklace with Portland bridge on it.

    Pearls

    If you want to buy jewelry for the vegan on your list, avoid any jewelry that includes pearls.

    Why do they avoid pearls?

    Pearls are made when an irritant enters an oyster, who responds by coating it with nacre. Since naturally-occurring pearls are rare, pearl makers have expedited the process by inserting irritants into the oysters.

    It’s reported that fewer than half of the oysters survive this process. After the pearls are removed, ⅓ of the oysters are put through the process again, while the others are killed.

    Interior Herbivore Clothing in Portland, Oregon with lots of gifts for vegans.

    Silk

    Silk is another item you’ll want to avoid when buying gifts for vegans. Instead buy clothing made with materials like polyester, nylon, or rayon.

    Why do they avoid silk?

    Silk comes from silkworms, who weave the fiber to make their cocoons. The silkworms are steamed or gassed alive in their cocoons to obtain the silk.

    Vegan shirts, artwork, and accessories at Ethique Nouveau. Many gifts for vegans.

    Fur

    Fur is a pretty obvious no-no when it comes to buying gifts for the vegans on your list.

    If you want to buy fake fur, look for words like faux, polyester, and acrylic.

    It should be noted that while faux fur is available, some vegans avoid wearing it, because they don’t feel comfortable in something that may be mistaken for real fur. Plus, there have been cases where fur was marked fake, but then turned out to be the fur of dogs and cats.

    Why do they avoid fur?

    Fur comes from animals who were raised, trapped, and killed for their fur like rabbits, minks, and foxes.

    Animals on fur farms spend their lives in cages. Then their lives are ended by suffocation, gas, poison, or electrocution.

    Are you a vegan who wants to avoid being the recipient of non-vegan gifts? <– Check out this post.

    Content and photos updated December 2019. Originally posted December 2014.

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    1. Linda Watson

      December 26, 2016 at 12:25 pm

      Thanks so much for this great guide. I’m feeling extra lucky to have a sister-in-law who got vegan Worchestershire sauce to make vegan Chex mix for us!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:51 am

        How thoughtful! You’ve got to appreciate those family members who go the extra mile. 😀

        Reply
    2. VeganLinda

      December 19, 2016 at 1:46 pm

      Great post!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:50 am

        Thanks, Linda!

        Reply
    3. Randi (laughfrodisiac)

      December 30, 2014 at 12:19 pm

      I totally have to send this to my new in-laws 🙂 Thanks for such a helpful guide! I hope you had a lovely Christmas!

      Reply
    4. Caitlin

      December 24, 2014 at 6:30 am

      such a great post, cadry. and i never knew that information about pearls! i received a throw pillow on saturday with duck down in it and have no idea what to do with it. i can be so naive sometimes and not even think that it could be not vegan until after the fact. i’m thinking i’ll bring it to my family’s christmas party tomorrow and see if someone else wants it? it’s such an uncomfortable situation…

      Reply
    5. Becky Striepe

      December 23, 2014 at 11:09 am

      Thank you for posting this, Cadry! Now I have somewhere to point folks if they’re worried about accidentally buying animal products.

      Reply
    6. An Unrefined Vegan

      December 23, 2014 at 4:57 am

      Many people struggle with the idea of another person not eating cheese or chicken – but they kind of “get” that about veganism. Understanding that veganism includes not using/wearing products made with animal products…that gets a little trickier. Excellent guide, Cadry!

      Reply
    7. Laloofah

      December 22, 2014 at 7:17 pm

      Thanks for providing this helpful info for people who may not know or understand the issues surrounding all of these items. By the way, I’m glad you discouraged going the “faux fur” route – not only for the offensive “fur as fashion” message it represents and encourages, fake or not, but also in light of this recent disturbing report.

      We’ve so greatly curtailed gift exchanges in recent years that it’s not an issue for us anymore, but I know something I always would have appreciated (but never received) would have been a donation in my/our name to Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary or Sea Shepherd!

      Happy holidays, Cadry! And thank you for another fantastic year of blog posts!

      Reply
    8. Kristy

      December 22, 2014 at 3:03 pm

      Such a resourceful list! Our first Christmas as vegans, Chris was given a lot of wool items and then we had to explain later why he couldn’t accept the gifts. It was a little awkward, but now his mom is amazing at thinking of stuff like that and has become a ninja at ingredient-label reading as well.

      And thank you for sharing my gift guide! xx

      Reply

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