About

The research system I wished existed

I Want Vegan is an independent, one-person editorial project: practical vegan guides and product picks, backed by a documented research method you can check for yourself.

Hi, I'm D. Up

I'm a software engineer, an animal lover, and a vegan. I started this site after years of squinting at ingredient labels and getting burned by products that looked vegan but were not — the source-dependent glycerin, the vague "natural flavors," the vitamin D3 that quietly comes from sheep's wool. I Want Vegan is the research system I wished existed back then: one written-down method, applied the same way to every product, so a recommendation actually means something.

D. Up is a pen name — I keep my legal name off the internet for privacy. That is exactly why the research process is fully documented: you never have to take a byline's word for a pick, because you can follow the same steps and verify it yourself.

What you'll find here

  • Label-first research. Vegan status gets decided by ingredient lists, product-specific brand statements, and certifications — not by marketing.
  • Education and shopping in separate roles. Guides teach the decision; collections hold the product shortlists.
  • Honest uncertainty. When the evidence is unclear, the product note says so — or the product stays out entirely.

What you won't find here

  • Medical advice. Supplement and nutrition guides are educational only. They can help you read a label; they cannot replace a clinician who knows your situation.
  • Amazon prices, star ratings, review counts, or retailer images. By policy: retail data goes stale within hours and is not ours to republish.
  • Paid placements or invented credentials. Brands cannot buy a spot in a collection, and the vetting here is source-based — labels, statements, certifications — never a testing lab we do not have.

How every product gets vetted

  • A three-signal vegan check: the current ingredient list, a product-specific brand statement, and recognized certification checked for scope.
  • Vegan and cruelty-free are separate checks. One is an ingredient question, the other an animal-testing-policy question — one never implies the other.
  • Gray areas need agreement. Supplements, capsules, and personal care need multiple signals lining up before they are recommended.
  • "Last reviewed" dates on product cards mark the day details were last confirmed against their sources.

The full method — including what a recommendation from this site does and does not promise — is documented at How We Vet Vegan Products.

When something is wrong

Formulas change, certifications lapse, and sometimes an ingredient call misses. If you spot a problem, email support@iwantvegan.com with the page and the issue: the page gets corrected, with a note describing what changed. The full corrections process lives in the editorial policy.

A note on supplement content

Some guides here cover supplements and nutrition. They exist to help you understand vegan sourcing and read labels with confidence — they are not medical advice, and nothing on this site is. For dosing, deficiencies, or whether you need a supplement at all, talk to a qualified clinician.

Where the money comes from

Some product links are affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate, the site earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Commission potential never decides what gets recommended — the method above does. Details are in the affiliate disclosure.

Want to suggest a product, or poke a hole in a pick? The contact page is the site's suggestion box.