LDN Health - For vegans, it's not just what's on the dinner plate, but also what happens after the dinner date

For vegans, it's not just what's on the dinner plate, but also what happens after the dinner date

[November 02, 2026] By MOLLY QUELL

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Worries about the environment and concerns about animal welfare are on the rise, and on World Vegan Day, some are looking for alternatives not just at the dining table but also in the bedroom.

In the Netherlands, entrepreneur Lieke Warmoeskerken says that she has to educate people that condoms, lubricants, and even vibrators might contain animal products.

“You think about what you put in your mouth, so why don’t you think about what you’ve put on your body?” she told The Associated Press.

Warmoeskerken’s company LieLei, based in the port city of Rotterdam, focuses on erotic products that are vegan, as well as better for the environment and ethically produced.

The latex in condoms can sometimes be softened using a milk protein. While silicone, which is used to make many sex toys like vibrators and dildos, is vegan, glues and dyes used in sex toys may contain animal products.

“For a lot of people it’s getting more and more important to buy something that is sustainable or is vegan,” Warmoeskerken said.

A recent study by Wageningen University shows that meat consumption in the country has declined for the second year in a row.

Wanting something safe and natural for her body, entrepreneur Simone Kuijer used coconut oil as a lubricant until she learned it could interfere with the body’s pH balance and damage latex condoms.

“I thought, this is not good. I need to come up with an alternative that is 100% natural,” the 30-year-old told the AP.

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Her sexual wellness brand Aia was born. It's entirely vegan, sustainably sourced and manufactured just an hour away from the company’s headquarters in Amsterdam. Kuijer’s products include lubricant made with a plant-derived glycerin rather than one from animal tallow and a massage oil candle made without using beeswax.

For vegans like Stephanie Heerema, these new companies have been an important part of a move to an increasingly animal-free lifestyle. The 28-year-old became a vegetarian at the age of 10, stopped eating animal products entirely while she was at university and, as global temperatures continue to rise, is trying to find more ways to live sustainably.

“It bothers me that there is lactose in my birth control,” she told the AP from her home in Amsterdam. Many medications contain the milk derivative, which is used as a binding agent in pills. Heerema buys vegan lubricant and condoms, and did her research when recently buying a vibrator to make sure it was vegan and only used recycled plastic on internal components.

Microplastics are also a concern for the entrepreneurs. Warmoeskerken's shop avoids plastic whenever possible and discloses which alternatives, like vegan leather harnesses, do contain plastic.

Kuijer, who is pregnant and worried about recent stories about microplastics in breast milk, tries to avoid plastic as much as possible. Her products come in glass jars and she recently launched a glass adult toy line.

“It doesn’t solve the whole problem, but it’s definitely a step towards it,” she said.

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