If you’ve been striving for more sustainable, cruelty-free lifestyle for quite some time, you likely know that sadly animal testing is still routinely performed in many industries, including the makeup industry. The most disturbing thing is that due to scientific advancements, in the vast majority of cases animal testing is absolutely unnecessary, and is often performed incorrectly, undermining the results and causing avoidable suffering to living organisms.
Follow the simple tips for a smooth, easy transition to cruelty free lifestyle
A prime example of unnecessary animal testing occurs to determine safety profiles of cosmetics, or, as defined by FDA, “articles intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions”. In other words, these items, which include creams, makeup and other lotions and potions, are not in any way necessary – and yet, many innocent creatures suffer in horrendous, outdated tests as in many places it’s required by law.
Specifically, it’s worth mentioning that animal testing for beauty brands was banned in the UK in 1997. However, many big brands sell in China, where animal testing is still required by law for all products manufactured outside the country. Despite enormous efforts to help China develop better practices, animal testing ban is yet to happen in this country, and as such, consumers willing to live a cruelty free lifestyle must be very careful when choosing which brands to support.
If you are committed to only purchasing cruelty free products, the following tips will help:
• Do your research. Generally, the easiest approach to finding cruelty free products that work for you is to search for information on resources such as Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free Kitty and Ethical Elephant. Not only these sites have giant glossaries of cruelty free products with convenient search features, they also post articles about the latest and greatest cruelty free beauty items and general reads related to sustainable lifestyle. They are US based, but you will likely find all your favorite brands there anyway.
it’s good to be aware
• Read the labels and claims with caution. This is especially relevant if you’re vegan, since “cruelty free” can often mean “not tested on animals”. In other words, products labelled with reputable logos such as the Leaping Bunny may still not be vegan, so if you are, always look for a special logo and read the ingredients.
Ideal scenario? Leaping Bunny AND Vegan.
• Consider the bigger picture. Now, there are numerous levels of commitment to cruelty free lifestyle, and this point may be a bit extreme for some, but it’s well worth considering anyway: many big brands own companies marketed and labelled as cruelty free, meaning buying from the latter technically still puts your money towards animal testing and such. For instance, Estee Lauder recently acquired Too Faced, which means you’re supporting the industry giant selling in China every time you buy a cute peachy blush.
The same could be said of Body Shop parent company L’Oreal, who sells in China where animal testing is mandatory.At the end of the day, it’s up to you to support or ditch brands whose parent companies are not cruelty free, but it’s good to be aware anyway!
Follow the simple tips above for a smooth, easy transition to cruelty free lifestyle at your own pace, and make sure to come back often for updates!
