Bentonite Clay — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?
Also known as: Sodium bentonite, Montmorillonite, Mineral fining agent
Vegan
No animals or animal-derived substances are involved in producing this agent.
Not required on labels
Bentonite is a processing aid and does not appear on labels. As a vegan processing agent, its use does not affect the vegan status of the final product.
Source
A naturally occurring volcanic ash clay mineral (aluminium phyllosilicate), mined from geological deposits worldwide. No animal products are involved in its production or processing.
Used In
Wine making (the most widely used fining agent globally), beer clarification, pharmaceutical tablet manufacture, cosmetics (face masks, dry shampoos), industrial drilling mud, cat litter.
How to Avoid
No avoidance needed — bentonite is vegan. It is in fact the preferred alternative to animal-based fining agents. Many vegan-certified wines explicitly use bentonite.
Editorial Notes
Bentonite works by electrostatic attraction — the negatively charged clay particles bind to positively charged proteins and pull them out of suspension. It is highly effective for white wine protein stability. The main vegan alternative to isinglass and egg albumin fining. Increasing adoption as vegan wine demand grows.