Deepika Padukone launches vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics

by Aarshi Rai

Indian actress, model, and TIME100 Impact Awardee for 2022 Deepika Padukone has added another title to her name – entrepreneur with a message. Starting her career as a model in 2005, she went on to star in blockbuster movies such as Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Padmavat, and made her mark in Hollywood with the Vin Diesel starrer xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Well, the megastar has now launched her self-care brand named 82°E. 

What is unique about 82°E is that their products will be vegan and cruelty-free, a category much in demand in the global market. With co-founder Jigar K. Shah, Deepika announced two of their self-care products in November 2022 – Patchouli Glow, a lightweight sunscreen combining patchouli leaf extract with ceramides, and Ashwagandha Bounce which includes sodium hyaluronate and the good old ayurvedic rejuvenator, ashwagandha. 

According to a press release from the company, these two items have been carefully created to simplify skincare and address the hydration and protection essentials for healthy skin. Both products have completed rigorous clinical studies and safety evaluations and are vegan as well as cruelty-free. Cleanser, toner, moisturizer, eye cream, and sunscreen are among the products in the brand’s first skincare line.

On Instagram Live, the actress said, “Wherever I am in the world, practicing simple acts of self-care consistently helps me stay grounded and enables me to feel my most centered. With 82°E, I hope to inspire us all to connect with our truest, most authentic selves through consistent and humble self-care practices.”

Brand named 82°E (pronounced as Eighty-two east)

The brand name refers to the standard meridian that runs longitudinally across India, establishing India’s standard time and, “shapes their relationship with the rest of the world,” suggests the 82°E website. Deepika says about the brand: “It’s about simplicity, consistency, and patience. Over the years, wherever I am in the world, my self-care rituals have helped me stay grounded and have enabled me to feel centered. We believe in the power of small, consistent steps to achieve lasting results. We endeavor to encourage individuals to embrace self-care rituals that nourish the mind, body, and spirit.”

The global icon adds, “The brand is rooted in India, yet global in its appeal. This ethos extends to every aspect of 82°E—from the name to the design of each of our products, and the rituals,”

What does it mean to be vegan?

When a brand claims to be vegan, it means its product ingredients are free of any trace of animals or their byproducts. Have you wondered what contributes to your lipsticks, balms, and shaving creams to moisturize your skin? It is Lanolin. Lanolin helps lock in the skin’s moisture and protects it but at the cost of sheep’s wool which secretes these natural oils. Similarly, keratin used for hair treatments and collagen that helps skin maintain elasticity contains animal protein. Vegan products resort to plant-based alternatives which include pseudo waxes extracted or generated through a variety of organic products, and rich plant oils namely jojoba, argan, avocado, and so on. 

When is a brand cruelty-free?

Technically, a vegan brand need not be cruelty-free. There is a difference between the two. The US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 set safety standards but much of the testing including for cosmetics was done on animals in the face of protests. The heinous Draize test, in particular,  involved testing a product on a rabbit’s eye to determine eye irritancy. India, however, calls the killing or maiming of any animal a punishable offense, especially for cosmetic testing.   

Deepika Padukone is not alone. Vegan and cruelty-free hair care products of LolaVie by Jennifer Aniston, Anomaly by Priyanka Chopra, and Rare Beauty’s color cosmetics by Selena Gomez are harbingers of the change in the way the beauty industry deals with product manufacturing.