VEGANS! (and non-vegans too)

Sex Toys
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Hey all! 

I'm speaking to a publication later this week about vegan sex products witha specific interest in bondage.

I just wanted to pick your brains before I do. 

Any insight into the following would be super helpful!

*For those of you who avoid real leather in bondage gear... What do you opt for instead? Faux leather, silicone, metal etc etc. and why? 

*Do you think there is a correlation between being vegan and enjoying kinkier sex? 

*If you mix a lot with either the vegan community or the sex community - have you noticed a high rate of cross over? (eg lots of kinky peeps at vegan events / lots of vegans at sex events) 

*NON-VEGANS - do you avoid leather / prefer non-leather products for any other reasons? If so, why? 

*Any other input: Do you look out for vegan friendly items in other less obvious sections of Lovehoney? eg: lubes, lotions and potions, clothing, condoms etc. Anything else you'd like to add? 

Thanks everyone! 

![](upload://bfEYgSItohW0C2EfznUe4e69nia.gif)

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That gif is hilair..!

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*NON-VEGANS - do you avoid leather / prefer non-leather products for any other reasons? If so, why?

I prefer non-leather products where ever possible. I do like the smell of leather, but I think faux leather functions just as well so I opt for that when I can. I like silicone bondage products better than both of those though. It's easier to care for, store and has a better feel in our opinion.

*Any other input: Do you look out for vegan friendly items in other less obvious sections of Lovehoney? eg: lubes, lotions and potions, clothing, condoms etc. Anything else you'd like to add?

For lubes and lotions, I look for vegetarian friendly (I'm a veggie) at the very least. I prefer vegan products though (Sliquid ftw) I find that these products are kinder to sensitive skin and they generally don't contain the key ingredients that disagree with my body.

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Hello,

I'm veggie but eat a lot of vegan things and have a lot of vegan friends. I am going to anaswer some of the vagan ones due to my friends in hope that it can help a bit.

*For those of you who avoid real leather in bondage gear... What do you opt for instead? Faux leather, silicone, metal etc etc. and why?

Many of my vegan friends will avoid leather items or avoid buying new leather items after they have become vegan (a few will still use their old leather items as they hate waste).

For myself, I don't avoid them as leather is still very popular with my clients although Maze brand is very good alternative and has tricked a few. I do have a preference for vegan condoms, I'd love to see more vagan plastics and latex.

*Do you think there is a correlation between being vegan and enjoying kinkier sex?

Not really, I have a few vegan friends who are kinky but also have others who are very vanilla. I don't think there's a correlation.

*If you mix a lot with either the vegan community or the sex community - have you noticed a high rate of cross over? (eg lots of kinky peeps at vegan events / lots of vegans at sex events)

I have found some events that there are a lot more vegan. There are a good few vegan Dommes, and many are veggie. Some holiday events are catered only with vegan food. One kink event I went to had veggie items but you would not of known unless you ate those veggie foods. I do not allow meat food in my dungeon and have even made subs eat in the cold if they really have to eat it. But overall loads of events don't cross over, a lot of people stop at mc donalds or go for carvery when travelling to and from them even. There are a few that sadly still have no veggie or vegan options too.

*NON-VEGANS - do you avoid leather / prefer non-leather products for any other reasons? If so, why?

*Any other input: Do you look out for vegan friendly items in other less obvious sections of Lovehoney? eg: lubes, lotions and potions, clothing, condoms etc. Anything else you'd like to add?

Not only do I look for veggie options for lubes and condoms when I can, I've had a few people who aren't vegan ask about them in the past too. Some meat eaters dislike the idea of putting a meat product into their genitals, and I've met a few guys who want to get veggie lubes in such to be sure it's ok with the girl they hook-up with.

If I'm honest there is a big rise for plant-based items, even with those who still intend to eat meet (I've dipping in and out of the holistic community as well as fitness and the rise is getting very noticeable).

5

I am not vegan but mostly have a vegetarian diet and avoid leather as much as possible so I'll answer to some of these as if I was vegan (hope it's ok)

*For those of you who avoid real leather in bondage gear... What do you opt for instead? Faux leather, silicone, metal etc etc. and why?

I opt for anything that isn't made of leather honestly. I am a newbie to bondage so don't really have material preference. I tend to chose the products based on their other features, but make sure they are not made of leather (any other material after that is ok).

*NON-VEGANS - do you avoid leather / prefer non-leather products for any other reasons? If so, why?

I avoid it for the same reasons that I do not eat meat. Animal cruelety, the fact that there could be so many alternatives that using leather / eating meat is irrevelent, etc.

*Any other input: Do you look out for vegan friendly items in other less obvious sections of Lovehoney? eg: lubes, lotions and potions, clothing, condoms etc. Anything else you'd like to add?

I do look for vegan friendly options for any products I am shopping for, either cosmetics sex toy essentials, etc. On lovehoney, whenever I see that an item is vegan friendly, it can make me chose that product over another if I am hesitating, but I do not base my purchases on this aspect. I do not refrain to purchase a lube if it's not vegan friendly, but if something hasn't been tested on animals or contains animal by products (mostly parts of their body rather than milk etc) it definitely is a plus.

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Thanks everyone - this is all really useful, and interesting. 

All input still very welcome! 

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Vegan here

For those of you who avoid real leather in bondage gear... What do you opt for instead? Faux leather, silicone, metal etc etc. and why?

I tend to opt for faux leather with metal links for restraints. I like the aesthetic even though I don't like the leather industry. I also sometimes have metal handcuffs used on me which are fun in an off the way cuff (no pun intended). I'm tempted to try silicone restraints because they'd be easy to clean but they don't quite excite me. I guess I just have a thing for the traditional bondage look.

Rope is another thing I use for restraints. It isn't an alternative to leather products. It offers something completely different.

I'm less picky with impact toys. As long as it is vegan I will be open to trying it. I've been on the search for a heavy vegan belt for belting but to no avail. I do wish I could find something with the weight of real leather.

*Do you think there is a correlation between being vegan and enjoying kinkier sex?

Not really but I think there may be certain personality traits that make people more able to both explore their kinks and be vegan. There are overlapping personality traits like openness to new experiences. Both BDSM and veganism are not exactly societally accepted (or weren't a while back) so non conformity, or at least a willingness to be rejected by society for what you care about, is needed for both. I think to be able to practice BDSM safely you need to be very conscious of ethics and care about your partner(s). Maybe there's something in that mindset.

*If you mix a lot with either the vegan community or the sex community - have you noticed a high rate of cross over? (eg lots of kinky peeps at vegan events / lots of vegans at sex events)

I'm not part of the vegan community at all but I am part of the kink scene and sex-positive community. I wouldn't say there were lots of vegans at sex positive and kink events but we do seem to find each other. For example, there were just three vegans at Eroticon which is around the average of 2%

Ten years ago the only vegans I knew lived on the internet. I was part of the kink scene but never met a vegan (that mentioned it) at a kink event until 2012. I did meet some vegans at goth and punk pubs and nights. I think there is a much bigger crossover between vegans and the alternative community. Come to think if it, all the kinky vegans I know are also alternative.

Around 2012-2014 I saw a huge increase both in people exploring kink and people becoming vegan. I don't think they are directly related but I think a cultural shift may be responsible for both.

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Partial vegan. A chamelvegan, if you will.

I try to avoid *new* real leather when making a purchase.

*For those of you who avoid real leather in bondage gear... What do you opt for instead? Faux leather, silicone, metal etc etc. and why?

All of the above, plus rope (natural fibres preferred, but some synthetics are nice) and responsible silk.

As for why, well... why not? Real leather is strong and has a wonderful look, feel and smell, but good quality faux leather can replace it pretty darn well these days (sans the scent usually), though perhaps not quite as strong. So I don't feel like I'm really missing out most of the time. Metal is great for aesthetics, sensation, and kink. (Love rose/red gold!) And if it's any kind of quality, it's strong. Silicone and fabric/rope is really versatile and travel-friendly.

*Do you think there is a correlation between being vegan and enjoying kinkier sex? AND If you mix a lot with either the vegan community or the sex community - have you noticed a high rate of cross over? (eg lots of kinky peeps at vegan events / lots of vegans at sex events)

Maybe not *kinkier* sex in particular, but sex in general, yes there could be a correlation. Although not true of all vegans/veggies and by no means limited to only those diets, healthier eating is known to contribute to a healthier libido and better stamina.

Plus, as Friday13 mentioned, there do seem to be a lot of vegans/veggies in the alternative scenes, which often have an association with kinky or at least liberal-minded sex scenes as well.

And I have also noticed the same shift Friday mentioned in recent years in both kink and veganism. I agree that they're not neccessarily directly related, but I think these shifts in culture could be pushing the two closer together.

Additionally, there might be a lot more vegans and veggies, etc. trying out more kinks due to the increase in options and availability of vegan-friendly fetishwear and BDSM gear. After all, leather has always been very strongly associated with the scene, if only in popular culture.

*Any other input: Do you look out for vegan friendly items in other less obvious sections of Lovehoney? eg: lubes, lotions and potions, clothing, condoms etc. Anything else you'd like to add?

Yep. It's always nice to see the label on lubes, lotions and potions, and clothing. Both for lifestyle purposes and for allergies.

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Friday13 and KitsiKiki - You've both echoed a lot of my thoughts, particularly around alt / veganis / BDSM "types" of people. 

Thanks so much for your insight!

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Wrote an amazing long reply to this but forum kicked out a msg saying I'd not submitted enough information and it was all lost 😢

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Sex Squid wrote:

Wrote an amazing long reply to this but forum kicked out a msg saying I'd not submitted enough information and it was all lost 😢

Ahhh nooooo!

Well I have now spoken to the publication, but if you want to keep the discussion going feel free to try again. 

(Though I know that might be the LAST thing you feel like doing lol)

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Not of much consequence now, but I forgot to mention I am fine with secondhand / refurbished and recycled leather. Because waste is just insult to injury.

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KitsiKiki wrote:

Not of much consequence now, but I forgot to mention I am fine with secondhand / refurbished and recycled leather. Because waste is just insult to injury.

Ah yes - this is always a thing of debate in my mind. 

I still use any leather items I bought pre-veganism, but not sure how I feel about second hand leather/wool/fur etc. 

It's a minefield at times! 

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Lovehoney - Jess Wilde wrote:

KitsiKiki wrote:

Not of much consequence now, but I forgot to mention I am fine with secondhand / refurbished and recycled leather. Because waste is just insult to injury.

Ah yes - this is always a thing of debate in my mind.

I still use any leather items I bought pre-veganism, but not sure how I feel about second hand leather/wool/fur etc.

It's a minefield at times!

I've have friends who are "freegans" basically vegans unless the thing has been thrown away, particuarly when it comes to supermarkets sending food to landfill. I think the philiosophy is as long as you are not funding the meat / animal product industry it is worse if the death of the animal was pointless. Better that someone is fed. I think this applies to old leather too, it'd be worse to discard something you could use, as long as your not giving money to people who produce it and hence keeping the industry going. I'm not sure I worded this well at all, but hopefully you get the idea.

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Jezebella wrote:

Lovehoney - Jess Wilde wrote:

KitsiKiki wrote:

Not of much consequence now, but I forgot to mention I am fine with secondhand / refurbished and recycled leather. Because waste is just insult to injury.

Ah yes - this is always a thing of debate in my mind.

I still use any leather items I bought pre-veganism, but not sure how I feel about second hand leather/wool/fur etc.

It's a minefield at times!

I've have friends who are "freegans" basically vegans unless the thing has been thrown away, particuarly when it comes to supermarkets sending food to landfill. I think the philiosophy is as long as you are not funding the meat / animal product industry it is worse if the death of the animal was pointless. Better that someone is fed. I think this applies to old leather too, it'd be worse to discard something you could use, as long as your not giving money to people who produce it and hence keeping the industry going. I'm not sure I worded this well at all, but hopefully you get the idea.

You worded it perfectly - I have similar thoughts around this. 

Although I personally still wouldn't eat anything with animal produce in it even if it was free as it's not actually good for your health. For me, being vegan is as much for me as it is for the planet and the animals. 

Thanks for your insight - I love learning more about this. I'm still relatively new to being a full vegan so it's great learning different perspectives. 

16

Had a date with a vegan girl a few years back and she had vegan condoms but I can't remember what they were called now and don't think I've seen vegan condoms since.

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JohnA wrote:

Had a date with a vegan girl a few years back and she had vegan condoms but I can't remember what they were called now and don't think I've seen vegan condoms since.

Unfortunately they're not that easy to come by. You can find a couple of brands who do them. Glyde, Sir Richards Condoms and Condomi all do a vegan condom. 

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Hey everyone

Just wanted to announce that the launch of vegan condoms on Lovehoney is IMMINENT! 

Keep your eyes peeled on the what's new in Better Sex over the next few days - there are 4 varieties to choose from.

They're all fair trade, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. 

YAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!

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Lovehoney - Jess Wilde wrote:

JohnA wrote:

Had a date with a vegan girl a few years back and she had vegan condoms but I can't remember what they were called now and don't think I've seen vegan condoms since.

Unfortunately they're not that easy to come by. You can find a couple of brands who do them. Glyde, Sir Richards Condoms and Condomi all do a vegan condom.

Hi Jess You might want to check Condomi. I used to deal with them some years back and retail them by Mail Order specificly for that market. I believe the 'New' owners Unimill Condoms/Ansell may have changed the formulae. Sagami may still do a suitable condom.

P.S.

I think our customers were mainly Femail.

Enjoy. x

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Lovehoney - Jess Wilde wrote:

Hey everyone

Just wanted to announce that the launch of vegan condoms on Lovehoney is IMMINENT!

Keep your eyes peeled on the what's new in Better Sex over the next few days - there are 4 varieties to choose from.

They're all fair trade, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly.

YAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!

I'm really pleased to hear this! As someone who has to use condoms for the next couple of weeks due to pesky antibiotics interfering with my pill, I'll definitely have to pick some of these up.