Is castoreum (not castor oil) vegan?
Castoreum (not castor oil) is a non-vegan food ingredient.
Checking out an ingredients list? 👇
"You are amazing, this has saved me so much time when grocery shopping!"
— Austin, a user who reached out with feedback
"It's been a great tool since starting my journey! You take a pic of the nutrition/ingredients, and it'll warn you of anything questionable or not vegan. 😁"
— Ashe, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
"Use a vegan app when you go shopping, I use WhatsVegan."
— Dóra, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
So, what is castoreum (not castor oil)?
Castoreum is a natural flavoring ingredient extracted from the castor sacs of North American beavers. Although it may sound strange, castoreum has been used in the food industry for centuries due to its sweet and musky aroma. It is a complex mixture of chemicals, including salicylic acid, benzoic acid, and castorone, which gives it its unique flavor profile. Castoreum is often used in baked goods, confectionery, and alcoholic beverages to enhance their taste and aroma. Despite its origin, castoreum is considered safe for human consumption and is an alternative to artificial flavorings.
How to quickly find the source of ingredients like castoreum (not castor oil)?
We've built a database of 49359 ingredients (and growing), classified as "vegan", "non-vegan", or "maybe vegan".
We use it in our vegan ingredients scanner, which is the best way to avoid non-vegan ingredients - you take a picture of a product's ingredient list, and the app tells you if the product is vegan or not.
We'll never send you spam.