Why I Started Using Cruelty-Free Makeup Products
I finally decided to commit to only using cruelty-free makeup products in June 2021. I had been using cruelty-free makeup products already, but I had some products that were not cruelty-free. Deciding to go completely cruelty-free with my makeup was something I had been thinking of doing for a bit, and it’s been the best decision I’ve made when it comes to my makeup purchases. My two reasons for going cruelty-free with my makeup products were Luna and Belle.
Luna is my Mini Rex rabbit. I’ve had her since 2016, and she is such a character. She also has the softest plush fur you’ve ever felt on an animal. I absolutely love petting her and I could pet her forever. Belle is the newest addition. She became part of my family last Summer as a puppy, and she has completely stolen my heart. I’ve never owned a small dog in my life, but I’m quickly becoming a small dog lover. Especially a Chihuahua lover! Having these two animals in my home has been such a pleasure and a joy. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to harm them and animals like them for animal testing.
Background
Bunnies and dogs are widely used in animal testing labs. They live their lives in pain and fear before they are killed, and I cannot condone torture to an animal all in the name of “research”. At this point in the game, there should be enough information to know what formulations of products are safe for people and what aren’t. I’m not a vegan, but I think animal testing is an outdated pratice that doesn’t need to be done anymore. I’ve decided to no longer support companies who continue to do animal testing for their products. I will be taking my money and spending it on companies who have taken a stance against this barbaric practice.
Navigating the world of cruelty-free beauty has been eye-opening. Since there is no regulation on claiming products as “Cruelty-Free” or “Not Tested on Animals”, any company can use these words in their marketing tactics. According to the FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration), “Some cosmetic companies promote their products with claims of this kind in their labeling or advertising. The unrestricted use of these phrases by cosmetic companies is possible because there are no legal definitions for these terms.” That means it’s the Wild Wild West when it comes to what companies want to claim as cruelty-free or not.
If you want some more information on the FDA’s stance on animal testing and cosmetics, check out the links below.
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling-claims/cruelty-freenot-tested-animals
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/product-testing-cosmetics/animal-testing-cosmetics
Resources
I’ve been using some websites who have higher standards on what companies they truly deem cruelty-free. Cruelty-Free Kitty and Ethical Elephant are two of my favorite websites dedicated to educating the public on cruelty-free products and brands, vegan beauty, etc. If you are curious about what cruelty-free means, then here are a few places to start. This beginner’s guide to going cruelty-free from Cruelty-Free Kitty is a good introduction. Ethical Elephant explains what cruelty-free means to her in this blog post.
When I’m looking to see if a brand is cruelty-free or not, I’ll generally look on these websites first to see if they have looked into the brand or not. Not all brands have been vetted by these websites, but a lot of the really popular ones have and those are normally the brands I’ll buy. However, if there is a brand that isn’t listed on either of these websites, I’ll do a quick Google search to see what comes up. If I don’t see anything from a reputable website (e.g Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International, PETA, etc), I’ll skip purchasing the product. Taking a closer look at which products I choose to purchase and which ones I don’t has changed my consumer habits, but I’m happy to do it to make sure I’m spending my hard earned money on brands whose values on being cruelty-free align with mine.