A common misconception about veganism is that it only affects a vegan’s diet. In reality, it is a lifestyle of choosing compassion by not patronizing products made of animals or tested on them.
Therefore, a vegan and art enthusiast may ask, are Crayola markers vegan? Unfortunately, Crayola markers are not vegan because they contain stearic acid derived from animal fat. However, Crayola assures that it does not test its products on animals.
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Why Crayola Markers are Not Vegan
1. They use animal fat to produce stearic acid
Crayola use animal fat – usually beef tallow to produce stearic acid, which is why Crayola markers are not vegan. The brand even admitted doing so themselves in a tweet on February 2018, stating that they used animal byproducts in their markers.
Now you might wonder if stearic acid is essential in creating Crayola markers. Well, it is, as it serves as a very effective hardening agent. In other words, this component is vital in keeping the markers in a stable state.
Stearic acid is ideal for strengthening Crayola markers because it is saturated, explaining its solid waxy texture at room temperature. It’s also this hydrophobic fatty acid that gives Crayola markers its distinctive smell – a clear hint that it’s not vegan.
2. They support slaughterhouses by buying other animal byproducts
These animal byproducts are most likely found in the dyes or coloring used in Crayola markers. More specifically, carmine, gelatin, shellac, sea snails, honey, and cow’s milk are commonly used to achieve the right color and consistency for marker inks.
How does the company acquire such animal derivatives? Art supplies companies usually obtain animal byproducts from slaughterhouses trying to make additional profit from their waste.
Therefore, it is even clearer how Crayola markers are not vegan. The brand may not be doing the cruelty itself, but it surely supports these slaughterhouses.
What are Crayola Markers Made From?
Not surprisingly, specific Crayola markers ingredients are a trade secret. It is one of the ways for the brand to maintain a competitive advantage as it is known internationally for its unique products, such as Crayola markers washable.
This reality makes it quite challenging to know the exact list of materials used to create Crayola markers. Nevertheless, Crayola provided on their official website the main components of the markers in an article answering, how are Crayola markers made?
Crayola markers are mainly composed of a plastic barrel, a cotton filament, a porous plastic nib, a cap, and an end plug. As observed, these are usually the visible parts of markers in general.
Other possible ingredients that Crayola markers made out of are glue and watercolors, color pigments, and paraffin wax. And as pointed out above, the brand uses beef tallow and other animal byproducts, such as honey, gelatin, bone char, etc.
Alternative Vegan Art Materials
It might be disappointing to find out that one of your favorite art materials brands is not vegan-friendly. Therefore, we made a list of the best brands of vegan art supplies just for you!
1. Azafran
Azafran is a brand devoted to providing purely organic products. Its wide range of products includes Azafran Organic Crayons that are made of are made of food-grade colors, organic soya wax, and organic soya butter.
2. Copic
Copic is one of the top-tier art markers for art professionals and enthusiasts, and yes, they are vegan! Copic markers have a refillable feature that makes them last a lifetime, plus they offer the broadest range of colors!
3. Faber-Castell
Another brand that offers a variety of vegan art materials is Faber-Castell, such as Gelatos, Pitt Artist products, Polychromos colored pencils, and Multimark markers.
4. Wee Can Too
Wee Can Too Veggie Baby Crayons are created primarily with food-based organic ingredients, perfect for babies and vegans looking for cruelty-free art supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do Crayola test their markers on animals?
Even though Crayola admitted that it uses animal derivatives on its products, it assures that it does not test its markers on animals.
However, Crayola using animal byproducts means the markers are not 100% cruelty-free. That Vegan Teacher Crayola remark video also reiterated this.
2. What are the best brands of vegan crayons?
The Crayola markers Vegan Teacher stating that Crayola products are not vegan might have disappointed vegans previously patronizing the brand.
Therefore, we listed some of the best vegan crayons for you above! The following alternatives are Azafran Crayons, Copic, Faber-Castell, and Wee Can Too Veggie Baby Crayons.
3. Are Crayola markers non-toxic or not?
In short, Crayola products are safe to use. However, the brand admitted that its product might contain toxic ingredients but only negligible amounts—not enough to cause serious health problems.
Therefore, there is little to worry about since Crayola products also have an Art and Creative Materials Institute’s Approved Product or ACMI AP seal. This indicates that Crayola products are indeed safe to use.
4. Are EXPO markers vegan?
According to EXPO Consumer Care, EXPO does not use animal products to create its markers. However, they acknowledged that its third-party suppliers might not be practicing the same thing.
Therefore, EXPO markers being vegan is probable and not a certainty. Thus, it is up to you to judge whether to purchase their products.
Conclusion
By asking what are Crayola markers made of, you will also be able to answer the question, are Crayola markers vegan?
To give you a recap: Crayola markers contain animal byproducts like stearic acid or processed beef fat, which is why these markers are not vegan. Instead, you can opt for vegan products such as Azafran, Wee Can Too, Mellisa & Doug, Copic, Faber-Castell, Chartpak AD Markers, Spectra ADMarkers, and EXPO markers.
Do you have any unanswered questions? Feel free to contact us, and we’ll gladly respond whenever we can. Have a great day!
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