I’ve been vegan for over three years now and while I have a good idea about what food and drink is vegan, I can’t say the same about craft products. I love using polymer clay but I wasn’t sure if it was made with animal products though, so I decided to investigate.
So, is polymer clay vegan? Most brands of polymer clay are not vegan as they contain small amounts of animal derived ingredients. None of the four main brands of polymer clay, Cernit, Kato, Sculpey and Fimo, are vegan. The only modelling clay I could find that is vegan are some brands of air dry clay including DAS Airdrying clay and Pebeo Gedeo Non-Firing Clay.
I had assumed all polymer clay was vegan, and as I know friends who are vegan and also like modelling with polymer clay, I decided to investigate further and email the manufacturers to find out more.
Is Fimo polymer clay vegan?
Fimo polymer clay used to be vegan but now isn’t. I emailed the company and it sounds like Fimo is vegan in the sense that it doesn’t contain traces of animal substances, but it the natural raw ingredients the company use may have animal substances in them. To me, Fimo is ‘vegan enough’ as it sounds more like a marketing issue as they can’t be 100% sure that the materials they get from their suppliers are vegan-friendly.
This was the reply I received from Fimo:
“On the occasion of the discussions at EU level in 2010/2011 regarding a standard definition of vegan food we proactively studied our products and processes. Since 2012 we have not actively advertised oven-hardening FIMO modelling clays as being vegan although analysis which had been carried out by external laboratories could not detect any animal DNA in the modelling clays.
For the production we partially use natural raw materials and therefore cannot completely exclude the presence of substances of animal origin. This is why we have decided to promote oven-hardening FIMO modelling clays as being not-vegan although in the finished product there are no traces of animal substances.”
So using Fimo as a vegan will come down to personal choice. I’m going to continue to use the Fimo clay I have but perhaps not buy any more. As the company have tested the polymer clay and it doesn’t contain traces of animal substances that’s good enough for me. It maybe that some batches of Fimo are vegan and others aren’t.
Is Sculpey polymer clay vegan?
The Sculpey website states: “Our polymer clays are not vegan and do contain ingredient(s) that are animal based. None of our products are tested on animals.”
So that’s an easy one, Sculpey polymer clay is not vegan.
Is Kato Polyclay vegan?
According to manufacturers Van Aken, Kato Polyclay is not vegan.
Despite it being listed as vegan on many forums and social media posts, the reply from the manufacturers states it is no longer vegan:
“We reached out to every supplier as a yearly check-up last year, and unfortunately, we were notified that our one ingredient in Kato could no longer be fully claimed as vegan. However, based on the information provided to us by our suppliers, our non-hardening clays are vegan if you ever need to use Claytoon or Plastalina to make silicone molds for your polymer clay.”
Is Cernit polymer clay vegan?
No, Cernit polymer clay is not vegan. I emailed the manufacturers, The Clay and Paint Factory, and got the following response:
“We do not use directly any animals raw materials. But I know that in one of our raw materials, some animal products are used. But of course, our clay and all our raw materials are cruelty free. Please also note that we are working on our formulation and we plan to have a vegan formulation in July 2021.”
So Cernit isn’t vegan either, but at least they’re trying to make it vegan!
As with Fimo, I have some packets of Cernit and will continue to use it up as the amount of animal products seems to be very small.
After doing some research, I can see that Kato Polyclay, Sculpey and Fimo used to be vegan, so they might return to a vegan formula in future. As manufacturers change their ingredients regularly, it’s always best to look out for updates in case a manufacturer starts using animal derived ingredients in their polymer clay.
Is air dry clay vegan?
Air dry clay is an alternative to polymer clay that doesn’t need to be baked.
Some air dry clay is vegan and some isn’t. Of the four brands of air dry clay I looked into, the two with different colours were not vegan, which makes me think that it might be something in the dye or pigment that contains animal derived ingredients.
- DAS Airdrying clay – according to the listing on the Aldi website this Das Airdrying clay is vegan. At the time of writing this, Aldi had sold out of the clay but you can buy it from Amazon
- Pebeo Gedeo Non-Firing Clay – this is vegan and can be purchased from Hobbycraft or Amazon.
- Crayola Model Magic – in a Reddit thread, someone has posted a reply from Crayola which states this air dry clay is not vegan. Also, Crayola won’t say why their products aren’t vegan, “Our products are not vegan, as a variety of Crayola products contain animal by-products. Crayola product formulas are proprietary and we are not able to share any further ingredient information.”
- Baker Ross Light Clay – I emailed this company and they replied to say that Baker Ross Light Clay clay isn’t vegan.
What animal products are in polymer clay?
Polymer clay manufacturers keep their full ingredients under wraps but some animal derived ingredients could include beeswax, gelatine, or carmine – a dye extracted from crushed insects.
What polymer clay finishing products are not vegan?
As well as the polymer clay not been vegan, the products you use with it may not be too. Some products commonly used with polymer clay that may contain animal derived ingredients include:
- Varnish – some varnishes contain shellac, which is derived from insects, or may contain beeswax.
- Oil pastels – some oil pastels contain animal fat and wax (soft pastels are usually vegan).
- Glue – some glues may contain collagen which comes from animal hides and bones.
- Pigments and dyes – this is the real danger zone for vegans as many pigments and dyes contain cochineal. Some black pigments are called ‘bone black’ and are made from charred animal bones. Mica is a vegan-friendly pigment for colouring with polymer clay, so try this for fabulous colour with a clear conscience.
Always check the label or ask the manufacturer or supplier if a product is vegan before you purchase it. PETA has further information on what art and craft supplies could be potentially problematic for vegans here.