If you asked one of my friends, they would tell you I absolutely adore animals. I’ve had animals ranging from house cats and dogs to a farm full of chickens, cows, goats, and pigs! I was even lucky enough to get approval for bringing my sweet cat to campus this year. However, I also do my fair share of using makeup products daily. I love getting ready in the morning and feeling my best for whatever the day may bring.
Unfortunately, many makeup brands create and test their products in a way that doesn’t align with my morals, especially with my love for animals. Up until last week, I used pretty much whatever makeup products TikTok or Instagram influencers recommended. One day I was doing my usual doomscroll to avoid my homework, when I stumbled across a video explaining what actually happens when skincare companies test their products on animals.
Spoiler: it was NOT putting a full face of makeup on the rabbits. I’m sure a lot of you knew this already, but do you ever stop and actually think about it? I’ll spare you the details, but I’ll tell you one thing: I was bawling.
I decided that I needed to go through my collection and get rid of the products that weren’t cruelty-free at the very least. Turns out that left me with a pretty small collection, pretty sad huh? I went to Google and began looking into makeup companies that were very clear about their testing process and transparency with being cruelty-free.
I won’t try to convince you to change the products you purchase, but I do want to explain how some of these processes occur and let you decide for yourself. Animal lovers, this is your chance to close out of this article.
Common testing methods
The first method commonly used in animal testing is the Draize rabbit eye test. Rabbits have very little tear production, making them a “good” candidate for this method. The animal’s eyes are held open while the chemical substance is applied then observed for any reactions.
Another form of testing is applying prepared chemical solutions, gels, or creams to a shaved section of the animal’s skin, their nose, or mouths. This is used to check the severity of the reaction the animal has to these chemicals. How awful does that sound? I couldn’t possibly stand the idea of that being done to one of my own animals.
The last one I will mention is the lethal dose test. The animal receives a lethal dose of the chemicals/product to determine the highest dose that can be administered or included before causing death. DEATH. Companies are sentencing animals that are considered “disposable” to death just to determine the safety of their products.
If testing like this must be done to determine the safety of our skincare products, I’ll have to pass. Any product I use will be coming from a company that does not support inhumane forms of product development. If products like this require extreme testing to be done, do we really think we should be applying them to our own skin…?
How Are brands considered cruelty-free?
For my own standards, I use a brand that does not include animals at any point during their production or testing process. However, there are a lot more factors that go into a brand being considered cruelty-free.
A cosmetic brand can be considered cruelty free if they meet certain criteria in their production process. A company cannot use any of their finished products on animals nor can any other company, their ingredients also cannot be tested on animals at any point, and the suppliers they purchase ingredients from must also exclude the use of animals.
There are many components that go into a brand being officially deemed cruelty-free, some of which I didn’t mention for time’s sake. I do encourage you to do your own research on these standards if you’ve also thought about changing your products to a company more animal friendly.
So… what brands can you trust to be cruelty-free?
I have some recommendations for brands I trust to purchase products from that are cruelty-free. I won’t leave you without any direction or a starting place for your own research purposes. I’ll also include some brands that are fragrances or non-skin related products for your own benefit!
- e.l.f. Beauty – I use this brand for pretty much all my skincare and makeup needs and they’re also very affordable for the quality of their products!
Wet n Wild – Not only is this brand cruelty-free, but they are also affordable like e.l.f. Perfect for those of us in college!Tarte – This brand is also a safe option as they don’t use animals at any point or sell their products where animal testing is required by law.
Rare Beauty – Also cruelty free AND great products!
Ariana Grande – Her company is completely cruelty-free and sells perfume if you need a new scent. (:
Beetles Gel Polish – As a nail girly, I LOVE this brand. Their products are good quality and long-lasting, being cruelty-free is such a bonus for me!
That is my short list for you guys, I hope it helps. Of course, there are also a lot more brands out there that are cruelty-free, but that will get you started if you’ve decided to use cruelty-free products too. Just a reminder, these brands are cruelty-free, but not necessarily 100% vegan. Their websites will provide more, accurate, and updated information for you to read if you need more information before making the switch.
Thank you guys for reading, I hope it has been enlightening for you and your knowledge of the beauty industry. Unfortunately, there are a lot of brands still using animals for testing purposes but making these small changes has the possibility to make a big difference the more people that join in!
Disclaimer: None of the brands mentioned in this article were sponsors, just brands I would trust to purchase my own products from!
Resources: If you’re interested in looking further into the information provided in this article, please take a look at the following websites. They provide good information about the process of testing and give a large list of companies that are cruelty-free beyond just beauty products. (: