5 Cruelty-Free, Vegan Surfboard Waxes
Did you know that some surfboard wax recipes contain beeswax? Unfortunately, surf wax recipes are often safeguarded—as they’re considered trade secrets by many makers—and aren’t regularly listed on packaging labels. This could complicate things if you’re hoping to use only animal-friendly wax. Luckily for all you soul surfers, we’ve got your back—and your board—covered. Check out these vegan, cruelty-free surf-wax options, and hang loose—they’re all a perfect 10.
1. Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax
This company offers four different types of specially formulated surf wax: Original, Quick Humps, Really Tacky, and Bodyboard. Sex Wax uses paraffin wax for a base material, which the company believes helps create what it considers the best surf wax on the planet—”The best for your stick since 1972.”
2. Sticky Bumps
The Southern California–based company has been family-owned and -operated since 1971, when founder John Dahl—”The Wax Man”—first launched Wax Research. Since then, Sticky Bumps has evolved immensely, enhancing wax performance and joining surfers on hundreds of millions of waves, producing over 4 million bars of wax annually. According to the company’s website, “All of our Sticky Bumps products are tested, designed and made for surfers, by surfers, period.” Vegan surfer Tia Blanco, who is part of the Sticky Bumps team, even starred in a peta2 ad in 2014 and again this year.
3. Santa Barbara Surfing
This company is the proud manufacturer of surf fins, leashes, and equipment as well as Double Barrel Surf Wax. This wax is available in cool and cold surf varieties—as well as an all-temperature base coat—and is available for purchase on Amazon.
4. Matunas
This company’s surf wax has been manufactured on a 25-acre farm in Santa Cruz, California, since 1988. The manufacturing team uses 10 percent organic ingredients grown on the farm. The eco-friendly surf wax is nontoxic and biodegradable, and the wrappers are printed with recycled ink on 100 percent recycled paper.
5. Famous Surf Supply
Not only does this company offer surf wax for four different water temperatures—cold, cool, warm, and tropical—it also sells two types of wax: the original Famous Surf Wax and an eco-friendly Famous Green Label Surf Wax, which is petrochemical-free, organic, and completely biodegradable. In addition, the company features recycled FSC-certified packaging and printing with soy ink.
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What’s Wrong With Beeswax?
Beeswax is obtained by melting a honeycomb with boiling water and then straining and cooling it.
It’s not unusual for farmers at larger bee farms to cut off the queen bee’s wings so that she can’t leave the colony or to have her artificially inseminated on a bee-sized version of the factory-farm “rape rack.” When the beekeeper wants to move a queen to a new colony, she’s carried with “bodyguard” bees, all of whom—if they survive transport—will be killed by the bees in the new colony. Large commercial bee farms may also replace the honey—which bees produce and need to get through the winter—with a cheap sugar substitute that lacks the nutrition of honey. Many bees are killed or their wings and legs are torn off because of haphazard handling.
A vegan lifestyle means embracing every opportunity to reduce the suffering of all animals, regardless of their species. With their populations in a state of alarming, steady decline, there has never been a better time to give bees a break and make the switch to bee-free products.
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Billions of animals are used for food, clothing, and entertainment every year, and just as many are poisoned, blinded, and killed in archaic product tests for cosmetics, personal-care products, household cleaning products, and even fruit juices. Whether you’re waxing up a freshie, choosing a cake for your wedding, or applying mascara before a night out, you don’t want to contribute to this cruelty. Luckily, PETA Living News makes it easy to stay up to date on the latest animal-friendly trends. Click the buttons below to start getting fashion, recipe, and lifestyle tips delivered straight to your inbox today.
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