by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

VRG Research Director

In September 2011 we received an email from a long-time VRG member asking us to look into two ingredients she believed were mislabeled in skin care products she had seen at a store located close to Philadelphia. She told us that “silk amino acids” were listed as ingredients in products labeled “vegan.”

The VRG contacted James Youn of Worldway, a Korean company which produces silk amino acids for both food and cosmetic purposes. He told us that “we use only empty cocoons” in the production of silk amino acids. Silk amino acids may be found in some food supplements sold in the United States but, to the best of our knowledge, is not in any food products.

Interested readers may note that some Internet sources stated that silk worms were killed in the extraction process to obtain silk amino acids.

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on food processing methods and food ingredients and to purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website at http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

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