Varnishes and mediums are the least visible materials in a painting, and several traditional ones come from animals or insects. Shellac is a resin secreted by the lac insect. Beeswax appears in some artist products: Golden states that its Williamsburg oil colours contain small amounts of beeswax as a stabilizer. Damar, the classic picture varnish resin, is tapped from trees, so it is plant material. For animal-free work, modern synthetic varnishes made with acrylic resin are the usual route.
This page covers the ingredients worth knowing, which ones are animal derived, and how to choose with confidence. It is part of our wider vegan art guide.
Key takeaways
- Shellac is a resin secreted by the lac insect and is used in some finishes and inks, including many India inks.
- Golden states that its Williamsburg oil colours contain small amounts of beeswax as a stabilizer.
- Damar is a resin tapped from trees, so the resin itself is plant material.
- Ox gall, a wetting agent in many traditional watercolours, is bile from cattle; Golden's QoR watercolours use a synthetic substitute the maker describes as vegan.
- Modern varnishes based on synthetic acrylic resin are the usual animal-free choice, though the maker of the specific product should confirm any vegan claim.
What varnishes and mediums do
A varnish is a final protective layer. It evens out the gloss of a finished painting and shields the paint from dust and handling. A medium is different: it is mixed into the paint while the artist works, to change flow, drying, transparency, or texture. Both are usually invisible in the finished piece, which is exactly why they are easy to overlook when someone asks whether a painting is vegan. The paint can be animal free while the varnish over it is not, and the other way around.
Shellac: the insect resin in some inks and finishes
Shellac is a resin secreted by the lac insect (Kerria lacca). Dissolved, it becomes a finish, and it is also the traditional binder in many India inks, which matters if you draw or paint in ink. Because shellac comes from an insect, it is not vegan, and it is not always named plainly on a label. Our page on whether ink is vegan covers the ink side in detail.
Beeswax and ox gall: the quiet animal ingredients
Beeswax turns up in more places than wax painting. Golden states that its Williamsburg oil colours contain small amounts of beeswax as a stabilizer, by the maker's own account, and wax pastes and some mediums use it as well. Bees make beeswax, so a strict vegan practice avoids it. Artists who want wax effects without it can look at plant waxes; our page on encaustic without beeswax covers soy, carnauba, and candelilla.
Ox gall is bile from cattle. It has long been used as a wetting agent in watercolour, where it helps paint spread evenly across the sheet. Golden's QoR watercolour line uses a synthetic ox gall substitute that the maker describes as vegan. If a bottle in a watercolour kit says ox gall, ask the maker whether it holds the traditional animal version or a synthetic one. There is more on this in is watercolor paint vegan.
Damar: a plant resin with a long history
Damar is a resin tapped from trees, so the resin itself is plant material. It has been the traditional picture varnish for oil painting, and it is also the resin blended into encaustic wax. Two honest notes belong here. First, a finished damar varnish is the resin dissolved in a solvent, so studio air quality is a separate question; the sustainable hub's page on low-VOC paints and mediums explains it. Second, plant origin covers the resin only. A full product can contain other ingredients, so a vegan claim about a specific bottle still belongs to its maker.
| Ingredient |
Source |
Animal derived? |
Where you meet it |
| Shellac |
Secretion of the lac insect |
Yes |
Many India inks and some finishes |
| Beeswax |
Made by honeybees |
Yes |
Some oil colours (Williamsburg, per Golden), wax pastes, encaustic |
| Ox gall |
Bile from cattle |
Yes |
Wetting agent in traditional watercolour; QoR uses a synthetic substitute, per Golden |
| Damar |
Resin tapped from trees |
No |
Traditional picture varnish and encaustic blends |
| Acrylic resin |
Synthetic polymer |
No |
Modern varnishes, gels, and mediums |
The synthetic route: acrylic resin varnishes and mediums
Modern synthetic varnishes made with acrylic resin are the usual animal-free route. Acrylic binder is a synthetic polymer, and acrylic mediums, gels, and varnishes are built on it, so nothing in the basic formulation comes from an animal or an insect. The same caution applies here as everywhere on this page. Synthetic by formulation is a strong starting point, but the maker of the specific product is the one who can confirm a vegan claim, and formulations change. Treat any brand statement, including the ones quoted on this page, as the maker's own account with a date attached.
What this means for a finished painting
You cannot judge a varnish by looking at a wall. If the animal question matters to you, ask before you buy, and expect an honest seller to go find out rather than guess. VanArtHub has not audited every artist's materials and does not label any painting vegan. What we will do is put the materials question, varnish and mediums included, to the artist before you buy, so the answer comes from the person who made the work.
Common questions
Is shellac vegan?
No. Shellac is a resin secreted by the lac insect, so it is an insect product. It appears in many India inks and in some finishes, and it is not always named clearly on labels, so check the ingredient information for inks and finish products.
Do all oil paints contain beeswax?
No. Beeswax appears in some products as a stabilizer. Golden states that its Williamsburg oil colours contain small amounts of beeswax, by the maker's own account. Other lines differ, so ask the maker about the specific range you use.
Is damar varnish vegan?
Damar resin is tapped from trees, so the resin itself is plant material. A finished varnish also contains a solvent and possibly other ingredients, so a vegan claim about a specific product should come from its maker.
What varnish can a vegan artist use?
Modern synthetic varnishes based on acrylic resin are the usual animal-free route, since the acrylic binder is a synthetic polymer. Confirm the specific product with its manufacturer, because additives vary and formulations change.
Is ox gall medium vegan?
Traditional ox gall is bile from cattle, so it is not vegan. Synthetic substitutes exist: Golden states that its QoR watercolours use a synthetic ox gall the maker describes as vegan. Ask the maker which version a specific bottle contains.
If you are choosing work now, browse our oil paintings and acrylic paintings, and ask us about the materials of any piece you like before you buy.
