Is Shellac Vegan?

What is shellac?

To break things down simply, shellac (lower case s) is a resin used as a food glaze but also acts as a wood varnish, stain and sealant in construction. So shellac, in this context, is made from lac bugs found in India and Thailand which produce a resin as they move around trees. The resin can then be scraped of tree bark, heated for purity and made into a colourant and glaze. 

On the other hand, Shellac (with an uppercase S) is the name of a brand of nail polish; CND Shellac creates well-known and loved gel nail polish.

Is shellac vegan?

Products containing shellac (the food glaze) are not vegan, because shellac is not plant-based and therefore not suitable for vegans.

Does CND Shellac contain actual shellac in it?

While it shares a name, this may be because shellac is generally associated with a glossy finish as CND Shellac markets in its nail polish. However, it doesn’t appear to have any shellac in its formula. 

Is CND Shellac vegan?

This is a slightly tricky one. CND Shellac does not appear to have any animal-derived products in its ingredient lists, which would in theory make it vegan. However, the company does test on animals so it isn’t cruelty-free, which would ultimately make it unsuitable for use for vegans who are plant-based in particular for animal cruelty reasons. 

Got any other questions for us? Let us know in the comments!