Keratin: Always Animal-Derived in Hair Care

Keratin is always animal-derived, rendered from feathers, wool, hooves, horns or hair, which places it outside vegan claims and, where it comes from slaughter byproducts such as hooves and horns, outside vegetarian ones. Products advertising plant keratin do not contain keratin at all; they use botanical proteins such as wheat or soy that mimic its conditioning effect. Cruelty-free is a separate testing question.