In this day and age, it’s becoming increasingly harder to find beauty products that are right for you. Finding the right price, the right scent, the right chemicals, etc. is nearly impossible. Another rising concern is the right production methods. Unfortunately, the production methods of most brands include animal testing. These name-brand companies pass animal testing off as unavoidable, but there are a number of name-brand companies that don’t test on animals at all. For example, Bath and Bodyworks, Burt’s Bees, Too Faced, Yes To, Ogx, and a dozen other widely-known and beloved companies do not test on animals. Just a few years ago, Covergirl stopped testing on animals as well!
Before continuing, I should probably clarify what cosmetic animal testing actually is and how it works. Cosmetic animal testing applies to nearly all branches of the health and beauty industry. Certain razors, soaps, hair products, makeup, facial cleansers, makeup wipes and even tampons are all tested on animals. Unfinished products are rubbed on the skin and even in the eyes of bunnies and guinea pigs. This may seem insignificant, but the chemicals used in many “exfoliating” soaps and face washes are very harsh and acidic in order to clear away the dead cells and leave your skin feeling baby-smooth. These chemicals and acids are first tested on animals to determine how effective they can be in a product, meaning that the raw products are pasted all over the bare skin of animals and the effects are observed. Although many chemicals do not burn away at the skin, these animals are kept in small cages with no mental or social stimulation and tested on until they die naturally or until one of the chemicals eats away at their skin and they cannot be tested on any longer. Additionally, any new chemicals developed by these companies are subject to the Lethal Dose 50 test. This is a toxicology test performed on a large population of animals in which doses of the chemical are injected into the animals or added to the animals’ food in increasing amounts until at least fifty percent of the animals die from the toxins. Personally, if my makeup or face wash had any part in killing a minimum of fifty bunnies, I’d be sick to my stomach.
This is why the cruelty free label was created. Cruelty free cannot be labeled by a product, so if a company tests one product on animals, they cannot use the cruelty free label on any other product, regardless of whether that specific product was tested on animals or not. Consumers can know what they are supporting by buying into the company’s products. There are a variety of ways that companies declare that they do not test on animals. Packaging that has a small bunny figure on the back is certified cruelty free through a series of examinations by a trusted source, like the Leaping Bunny or PETA. These examinations cost money for labor and resources however. The cruelty free symbol is very helpful to customers, but has a price tag for the company. Some companies choose not to get their products certified but will mention on their websites or packaging that they do not test on animals, like Bath and Bodyworks. Otherwise, the majority of companies that do not mention their animal testing policies on their labels or their company websites probably are not proud of their policies because they test on animals. Depending on how strict you are about your personal ethics, you may need to watch out for sub-companies that do not test on animals but are owned and pass their profits up to a parent company that does test on animals. Another red flag to look for is whether a product was made in China or not, because China requires that factory-made cosmetics and health products be tested on animals before they are allowed onto the market.
It is undeniable that some products are better than others and it is hard to switch products once you find one that works for you. But other products like mascara are easy to find from any brand. So next time you’re stuck between two products of the same value and quality, consider animal testing as a tie breaker. If you are curious about the variety of companies that offer cruelty free products, Cruelty Free Kitty has an exhaustive list of options here.