With Valentine’s day right around the corner, it is time to seriously think about the perfect gift for your loved one. And if your significant other is a vegan, it can be challenging to find an ethical, but thoughtful gift that says you care.
If you are having trouble deciding what to get, let us help. Here is our list of best vegan valentine’s day gifts to inspire you. Check it out!
Delightful Vegan Chocolate
Who doesn’t love chocolate? But did you know that not all chocolate is vegan?
The main ingredient in chocolate called ‘cacao’ comes from a plant. However, most varieties of chocolate are not vegan due to the presence of animal-based ingredients. Store-bought chocolates also contain milk, butter, sugar, fillers, and artificial flavorings in addition to cacao. Furthermore, the presence of low-quality ingredients compromises the nutritional benefits of raw chocolate.
Nonetheless, raw chocolate is regarded as a superfood with various health benefits. It is high in antioxidants, sulfur, and magnesium. It also contains essential fatty acids that lower bad cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer.
Vegan chocolate would ideally contain high levels of dark chocolate and no milk-based ingredients. It would retain the nutritional benefits of cacao and still be edible.
Sensual Soy Candles
Candles, as romantic gifts, are synonymous with Valentine’s Day. Scented candles are very popular with both men and women and are an all-time favorite gift idea for this occasion.
However, not everyone knows that most commercially available candles are made from unhealthy ingredients like paraffin wax that produce toxic fumes while burning. Paraffin candles also have strong aromas that can sometimes come off as overwhelming.
Beeswax candles are the other common type of candles. Beeswax is collected by melting honeycombs with boiling water and mixing the clarified liquid with oil to make it workable. It is not vegan.
So, both paraffin wax candles and beeswax candles are unsuitable for vegans. However, soy candles are simple, sustainable and vegan-friendly choices.
Soy wax is made from soybean oil. It is carbon-neutral and eco-friendly. Unlike paraffin, soy wax candles do not emit toxic substances. Nor does it stain. These candles usually last longer than regular candles. They are better for health since they burn cleanly.
Additionally, soy is a soft wax that can be easily cleaned if it spilled. It is also softly scented and emits less heat. Since soy is bio-degradable, it is an eco-friendly choice.
Here is one of the most popular soy candle brands in the market.
Luxury Natural Soy Wax Fragrance Essential Oils Stress Relief Relaxation
This gift pack consisting of eight aromatic soy candles in glass jars is a very impressive Valentine’s Day gift. The candles come in beautiful glass jars with neat labels. They are very fragrant.
Each natural soy wax candle has a unique aroma from natural essential oils like strawberry, lemon, vanilla and rose. The candles burn evenly, letting off pleasant fragrances and without any black smoke. They also have lead-free wicks that do not pose any health risks.
Each candle in this set will burn for up to 25 hours, making it a long-lasting, useful and meaningful gift.
Subscription to VegNews Magazine
Despite the growing trend to embrace plant-based lifestyles in today’s world, being a vegan isn’t always easy. One of the main challenges is obtaining enough information to keep up with this lifestyle.
Show your appreciation and support your Valentine’s decision to be vegan by gifting him or her a VegNews Magazine subscription.
VegNews is an award-winning vegan magazine that is packed with food recipes, fashion and beauty advice, health, beauty and lifestyle information for vegans. It is guaranteed to make this lifestyle choice more exciting and interesting with practical suggestions, tips, and resources for vegans.
VegNews publishes 4 issues every year and is available in print and digital formats. Digital content is also published every day. They have one-year and two-year subscription packs to choose from.
Vegan Skincare gifts
When it comes to selecting beauty and skincare products, vegan skincare products are healthier and safer than other formulas. This is because the skin absorbs almost 60% of the ingredients that it is in contact with. So, it isn’t surprising that exposure to synthetics and animal ingredients causes allergic reactions and sensitivity.
If you read the labels of skincare and cosmetic products, you will notice that most of them are not vegan. They are either tested on animals or contain animal ingredients. Common ingredients in these products, like beeswax and lanolin, can clog pores. Others like musk may even trigger unwanted hormonal reactions.
Natural, organic and vegan-friendly skincare formulas do not present such side-effects. These products usually contain powerful natural substances like coconut oil, fruit extracts, nut butter, and essential oils. These are highly effective, and more importantly safer than their synthetic counterparts in delivering positive benefits to the skin. Here is our recommendation for an excellent vegan skincare product to pamper your partner on Valentine’s day.
This multipurpose cleanser contains a powerful blend of superfoods like kale, green tea, spinach and alfa alfa that are rich in natural antioxidants. It is pH balanced and suitable for all skin types.
Not only is this organic cleanser cruelty-free, but it is also free from parabens, sulfates, mineral oils and ingredients that are harmful to the skin.
Youth to the People Kale superfood cleanser is gentle and suitable for daily use. It leaves the skin supple and soft. The natural cold-pressed plant extracts in this gel cleanser are effective in removing all traces of make-up.
This product is a clean and healthy choice not just for vegans, but for anyone who is interested and appreciates healthy, skin-friendly products.
Vegan jewelry
The jewelry sector harms our environment in more ways than can you may imagine. You may already know that materials like leather, ivory, and pearls are direct animal products. Additionally, many other materials like artificial pearls are also products of animal cruelty.
So, if you decide to buy jewelry for your girlfriend or wife on Valentine’s day, pay attention to ensure that what you buy is vegan.
Here are some of the unethical materials that are used in jewelry.
Leather: Leather is made from cowhide and is a pure animal product. Instead of leather, look for vegan leather that is made using cork. It is just as durable and looks and feels like original leather. However, it is a kinder substitute.
Pearls: Real pearls come from oysters and mussels. These organisms are subjected to cruel conditions during the sourcing process. Hence, it is not preferred by conscious vegans. Even imitation pearls are obtained from coral reefs and are animal products. So, you may like to check for details of the sourcing process before you buy any type of pearls.
Elephant hair and feather embellishments: While ethical manufacturers work with fallen elephant hair and feathers in the wild, this is not always the case. These animal parts may also be procured from poached elephants and birds and are neither vegan nor environment-friendly.
One of the best ways to ensure that you get a vegan bracelet or necklace is to look for PETA-approved labeling. PETA closely examines vegan-claims and their stamp guarantees the authenticity of a company’s claims.
You can also surprise your Valentine with jewelry made from materials that are not linked to animals. Vegan jewelry can also mean jewelry with vegan themes. So, if it is about finding an ornament that is representative of this lifestyle choice, you can choose metal, acrylic or natural stone jewelry that fits the vegan description. Take it a notch further by choosing jewelry featuring vegan quotes or icons like the ‘Fleur de Lis’ that are symbolic and hence meaningful.
From vegan chocolates and soy candles to jewelry and magazine subscriptions, we have provided a list of our best gift ideas for your vegan Valentine. We hope it inspires you to find something that appeals to your partner’s conscience as well as taste.
