Keeping your Bedroom Activities Animal Cruelty-free: Vegan Condoms

For vegans, especially ethical vegans, the simple act of placing animal products inside their mouths is deplorable, so you can only imagine what it would be like to have an animal-based product placed so closely to their more ‘sensitive’ body parts. Consider this as another example: picture yourself as someone dating a vegan and it’s come to that point when it’s finally time to go to 4th base. What happens when it’s time for condoms to come into the picture?

You see, the manufacturing process of latex, the material used in all condoms, involves the use of casein, a type of milk protein. Most, if not all, regular condoms have small traces of casein. For ethical vegans, this poses a problem of condoms not being a cruelty-free product. Aside from not being vegan however, most condoms are poor at biodegrading due to landfills and presence of lubricants, thus making them a poor product for the environment. Moreover, the lubricant found in most condoms these days can contain ingredients such as dairy enzymes and honey, both an affront to vegan principles as well.

The solution to this problem is the vegan condom, a type of condom manufactured in such a way that doesn’t involve the use of casein or other animal-based products. A handful of companies have taken the step of addressing the concerns of vegans and vegetarians, whose numbers have grown larger over the recent years as awareness grows on animal cruelty and the importance of a healthier lifestyle.

Instead of using casein to create latex, vegan condoms have a plant-based substitute to facilitate the creation of the material, like cocoa powder. The few companies that do offer vegan condoms each have their own special formula or substitute for casein and other animal-based ingredients, but the core concept remains the same—condoms that steer clear of animal products.

If vegan condoms are completely unavailable to you, remember they are a very small price to pay for preventing the larger impact another human being makes on this world. Besides being a solution against unplanned pregnancies, latex condoms are by far the most effective means of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted disease. So if you can’t stomach the idea of you or your partner having to wear a non-vegan friendly condom, then by all means, do try and abstain from engaging in sexual activity. It’s the least you can do for the world.