Vegan Body Products: Instituto Espanol

Update 2025: Instituto Español is still operating and continues to offer a wide range of vegan and environmentally friendly body products. You can explore their latest offerings on their official website: https://institutoespanol.com/

Almost my whole family has sensitive skin, and we have always battled to find the right skin care products. We search for creams, lotions and soaps that will not harm our skin, or give us rashes, and that is environmentally friendly, as well as being vegan body products. 

Besides protecting our skin, we all (including companies) have a responsibility to be good stewards of the planet that we live on. 

We found the perfect company in Spain that produces vegan body products, and cares about the environment.

The Instituto Español:

This company caters both to the Spanish market, as well as to the international market.

Here’s a bit more about the company, with information translated from their official website: www.institutoespanol.com

Instituto Español was founded in 1903 in the tradition of the best European perfumery and since it began its activity, it has produced perfumery and cosmetic products. A company with more than 110 years of experience, where working is being part of a team, of a family. Research, innovation, quality, technology … all these words make sense when we mention Instituto Español. 

We introduce a wide variety of products to the market that seek to reinforce care from the smallest of the house to the elderly.

We intend to give our products their own identity. For this, we pay attention to the needs of our clients, always seeking to offer them maximum satisfaction. Your opinions are always a true source of innovation for us. Thus, we have developed products adapted and destined for today’s society, such as anti-pollution products, which protect the skin from environmental pollution, and ecological and vegan lines, which meet the needs of an increasingly environmentally responsible society. In addition to a wide range of products for the care of sensitive skin, as always adhering to offering the highest quality.

The great variety and quality of the products we offer allows us to be highly competitive in the national and international market, exporting to a large number of countries around the world. This also provides us with an exchange of scientific experience in the field of skin care, and helps us to search for new horizons. We try to develop the products you will use tomorrow today.

Product Range

They have very reasonably priced vegan body products which include:

• shower gels, 
• perfumes, 
• moisturizers, 
• colognes, 
• deodorants, 
• lotions, 
• and oils. 

Their products are suitable for the whole family. They have a wide and varied range of products for all skin types (oily, dry, damaged, atopic and sensitive, including for babies and the most delicate skins).

100% Andalusian company

Most of the employees at the Instituto Español factory are local residents, as the company is deeply rooted in Andalusia. It is 100% Andalusian, Spanish, and European-owned, committed to supporting its region through job creation. Currently, it provides over 100 direct jobs in the perfumery and cosmetics industry. The company takes pride in the high quality of its products, emphasizing the trust and reliability that come with the ‘Made in Spain‘ seal.

Socially responsible

Their mission is to respect the environment in which they live, as well as the people around them. Workers are a priority for Instituto Español, as well as the environment and nature.

Caring for the environment

Instituto Español defends the management of a sustainable business as one of the basic pillars within the company. The need for humans to satisfy a good without sacrificing the future ability to produce this good is what we know as sustainability.

Instituto Español is located very close to one of the most fascinating natural landscapes, Doñana. Doñana National Park (543 km²) is in Andalusia, southern Spain, in the provinces of Huelva (most of its territory), Cádiz and Seville. It’s known for its wetlands, migratory birds, pine forests and shifting coastal dunes.

The Insituto does not only not test on animals, but they also do not dump waste so as to not harm the environment.

They explain that the environment is also the population, the people. That is why 90% of their staff are from the same town where they are located, Hinojos. They try to have the least displacement of their workers, so the hiring is always from neighboring towns.

No harm to animals (vegan body products)

Instituto Español is firmly committed to a policy that excludes testing its products and ingredients with animals, nor hiring third parties to carry out these tests, but we also do not buy any raw materials that are tested on animals.

No dumping of waste

The correct management of waste is very important to preserve the environment, and for social development. At Instituto Español they control and analyze all waste that they produce. They channel and reintegrate all recyclable substances into the production cycle. They have a clear concept of zero waste.

No aerosols

From their website: “The deodorants from Instituto Español, in addition to not coming in aerosols, do not contain alcohol, so they are effective and respectful of the skin. Aerosols come in cans that are partially filled with a concentrate of the product. It is then pressurized with propellant gas, such as butane, nitrous oxide, or carbon dioxide. These gases are not destroyed and go directly to damaging the ozone layer.”

Recyclable and recycled packaging

All the containers they use are very easy to recycle, so they help to combat the prospect of depletion of natural resources. 

Don’t wait until tomorrow to make changes you can start today—take care of your body naturally while also protecting the environment by supporting companies that do the same.

If you’re looking for more gentle skincare options, check out my review of Reitzer’s Pure Glycerine Soap, another great choice for sensitive skin.