Bodycare and beauty products are almost as prevalent and essential as water and air in our society, with everyone making an effort to look and smell their smartest in their bid to stand out from the crowd. However, some bodycare companies do test on animals or include animal-based ingredients in their products. For those who are striving to avoid products involving the use of animals in all walks of their lives, how do they ensure that our coveted makeup, lipsticks, deodorants and nail varnishes are ethically produced with no exploitation of animals involved?

As the awareness of the cruelty involved in animal testing surfaces increasingly to the mainstream, and innovative cruelty-free alternatives free from the use of animals begin to proliferate, the public now have access to a wealth of ethically produced bodycare and beauty products to choose from, as well as a plethora of campaign materials to educate themselves on the subject.

The Vegan Bodycare Pavilion at the UK’s first vegan Trade show VegfestUK Trade will showcase a large number of brands of cruelty-free vegan bodycare and beauty whilst highlighting the contentious issues of animal testing and avoiding non-vegan ingredients in the world of cosmetics in a series of thought-provoking and enlightening panel discussions.

Amongst the special guests in this section are TV presenter Wendy Turner-Webster (best known for her role in Crafty Beggars) and K-9 Angel co-founder Victoria Eisermann. Wendy and Victoria have a host of experience in the world of animal-free bodycare and cosmetics and they are delighted to be co-hosting the bodycare section of the Trade show this year. Joining Wendy and Victoria are representatives from the Naturewatch Foundation, Animal Aid and The Body Shop, who will be discussing how to avoid cosmetic products that are tested on animals.

Bodycare and beauty products that are free from animal testing, however, do not necessarily mean that they are vegan. So how do we ensure that our products are vegan and in particular what ingredients do we need to look out for in our checking? Jessamy Korotoga, Animal Aid’s vivisection campaigner, explains further the necessary steps that consumers should take to get the peace of mind that the products in question are 100% vegan.

Delegates seeking the newest vegan bodycare brands to stock will enjoy the New Brands Showcase which features up-and-coming ethical vegan brands such as Buddha Beauty, Elsa’s Organic Skinfoods, Funky Skincare and Living Naturally. There will also be a  New Product Launch session including a series of new vegan lipbalms from the UK’s first hemp company Yaoh, who are celebrating their 15^th anniversary this year in style with a rebrand.

Finally, delegates looking to unwind near the end of a long day at the Trade show can enjoy a free head-and-shoulder massage session kindly provided by the MobileMassage@Events team, who will no doubt put everyone at ease and relax plenty of tensions in the joints with their expert team of masseuses.

VegfestUK Trade consists of up to 160 stalls with cutting edge vegan products and Trade special offers, plus 5 other featured areas hosting around 40 panel discussions covering many aspects of vegan businesses, namely a Vegan Health Clinic tailored to healthcare professionals, a Vegan Business Support for independent business owners, an Independent Retailers Lounge aimed at those working in retailing, a Plant-Based Chefs Corner with plant-based recipe ideas for those in catering and hospitality, and a Vegan Celebrity Zone for media and PR professionals.

Trade and Media professionals can now register to attend for free at www.trade.vegfest.co.uk/registration

Small business owners are especially encouraged to attend the show where they can network with like-minded entrepreneurs, attend workshops on all aspects of managing and growing a business whilst tapping into the expanding vegan market.

For the latest event updates, visit the show website www.trade.vegfest.co.uk or follow the Facebook event page here.

The show organisers extend massive thanks to the show sponsors Bute Island Foods, So Free Chocolate and Yaoh.