Is Crayola Vegan in 2024? Cruelty-Free Art Time

Crayola makes and sells a huge range of art supplies and from the limited information available it seems that some Crayola products are vegan while others are not, read on for some more details.

It seems pretty certain that the answer is no, Crayola crayons are not vegan. The reason I can’t give a certain answer is that Crayola is keeping a tight lid on its ingredient lists. 

So, it seems Crayola don’t want to be transparent. However, I’ve found numerous sources stating that Crayola crayons contain stearic acid. 

Stearic acid can be sourced from either plant or animal sources. Animal-sourced stearic acid is an animal fat that can be found in products such as candles soaps and crayons. And typically comes from cows. 

And in a rather old Facebook post, that Crayola replied to, they did confirm that a variety of Crayola products contain animal by-products. 

So, it’s likely that Crayola uses animal-sourced stearic acid in its crayons. 

They say their product formulas are proprietary and won’t share them.

While I do get this and understand that they don’t want competitors stealing their secret recipes as Mr Slugworth did to Mr Wonka. As vegans, it’s very important for us to know that the products we buy are free of animal-derived ingredients. Not to mention how important it is for those with allergies to know also.

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The basic ingredients contained in Crayola Crayons are paraffin wax and colour pigment.

There are a number of animal-derived ingredients commonly used to make different colour dyes for markers, crayons and paints. This is likely the case in the colour pigment in Crayola crayons. 

If there is animal-derived stearic acid in Crayola markers it’s likely to be tallow, which is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat. 

Again, we know that some of Crayola’s products are not vegan but while it seems unlikely that their markers are vegan, getting a clear answer isn’t possible. 

It is very likely that Crayola uses many animal-based dyes and additives in its markers. 

According to Crayola, their markers are made with six components consisting of: 

• A colour solution
• A porous plastic nib
• A plastic barrel
• A cotton filament (ink reservoir)
• An end plug
• A cap

It’s the dyes in the colour solution that are likely to contain none vegan ingredients because this is often the situation when it comes to dyes. This even includes food, clothing and hair dyes. 

Again, we don’t have the answer but it’s the ingredients in the colour solution that may cause a problem for vegans. 

Many dyes contain animal-derived ingredients such as bone charcoal, cochineal and gelatin, among many others. 

In Crayolas FAQ the question ‘What dyes are used in Crayola Markers?’ is answered with ‘The basic ingredients in Crayola Markers are water and dye’. 

That’s the extent of the details they go into when it comes to the ingredients that make up the dyes. 

As we know that Crayola does use animal by-products, so, it would be reasonable to assume that their dyes probably contain an animal-derived ingredient. 

Thankfully, the lid and the barrel are made from polypropylene, a recyclable material. This is good news because Crayola makes more than 700 million markers a year. So, it’s great they can be recycled. 

You just need to check if polypropylene can be recycled at home or at your local recycling centre but if you’re looking to recycle your Crayola markers you should have no problem.

However, the tip and the ink reservoir are unfortunately not recyclable. So, with 700 million markers being made each year, it’s still a lot of waste. 

No, all markers are not vegan. In fact, a lot of big brand markers are not vegan for a number of reasons but commonly because of the ingredients used to make the dyes. 

Again, sadly no, most crayons are not vegan because of ingredients such as animal-derived stearic acid. 

Crayola states on the FAQ section of their website that ‘All Crayola and Silly Putty products have been evaluated by an independent toxicologist and found to contain no known toxic substances in sufficient quantities to be harmful to the human body, even if ingested or inhaled.’ 

So, what we know is that if there are any toxic ingredients in Crayola products they’re in small enough quantities that they should not be harmful. 

This is the one thing that Crayola do seem to be able to confirm and it’s good news. Crayola does not test on animals.  

Sadly, there aren’t a lot of choices when it comes to fully vegan markers. This is especially sad when we know the huge quantities made every year. 

Copic Markers are one of the only companies that seem to make fully vegan markers, you can check them out on Amazon – Shop Copic Markers. 

Crayons were a staple of my childhood and I’m glad I’ve been able to find some vegan crayons too. You’ll find a great selection at Azafran. 

• Azafran Organic Pencil Crayons
• Azafran Organic Glitter Block Crayons

Shop Azafran on Amazon

I hope I’ve answered all your questions on Crayola crayons and markers. Hopefully, in the future, I’ll have some better news but for now, us vegans are best to avoid Crayola because they are not a vegan company. 

Here are some of my other recent posts you might want to take a look at – The Best Flat Vegan Leather Boots For 2023, The Best Cruelty-Free and Vegan Lip Balms and Is Butter Vegan? How to Spread with Confidence!

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Meet the Author

Meet Sinead O’Carroll: Vegan explorer, sustainability advocate and the founder of The Wondering Wandering Vegan. Embracing veganism since 2018 and vegetarianism since 2005, Sinead is armed with a Vegan Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle qualification, and is on a mission to share her passion for cruelty-free living. 

With a taste for adventure and a heart for eco-conscious choices, she’s here to prove that vegans never miss out on flavour, fun or style. Join her in enjoying the delights of a vegan-friendly world! 🌱✈️🌍
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