I recently found out that one of my favorite makeup brands, Benefit, is not cruelty-free. I’ll be honest, I’ve never been super careful about using cruelty-free brands, but my recent realization flipped a switch for some reason. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a LOT of money on Benefit products over the years, or maybe I’m just finally understanding how truly cruel animal testing is. Either way, I have started an overhaul of my makeup collection, and I am slowly replacing my animal testing brands with cruelty-free brands.
Many makeup brands in the United States do not test on animals in the states, only overseas. Chinese law requires cosmetic products to be tested on animals prior to being sold to consumers. So, any brand that sells their products in China test on animals.
Aside from not being sold in places where animal testing is required by law, there are three other basic criterium to determine whether a brand is considered cruelty free:
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Finished product is not tested on animals during any part of the production process.
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Suppliers do not test ingredients on animals.
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No third party test products on animals on the company’s behalf.
All of this information can be overwhelming, but there are plenty of resources to help you figure out how cruelty-free your makeup collection is. Cruelty-Free Kitty is an example of a great source, and is personally my favorite source to refer to when it comes to cruelty-free makeup.
There are still some super amazing brands out there that do not test on animals. The next time you stroll the aisles of your favorite makeup store, give these brands a try!
Closer to the high end in terms of pricing, Too Faced products can be found at Ulta and Sephora. This one wins my vote for most adorable packaging.
My Favorite Products: Melted lipsticks, Eyeshadow palettes, Better than Sex mascara.
Raved about by online beauty gurus, Colourpop makes affordable, high quality makeup. Colourpop is also known for their collaborations with beauty gurus and influencers.
My Favorite Products: Liquid lipsticks, Eyeshadow palettes, All Star Setting Spray.
Perhaps the queen of the all-natural, cruelty-free movement, LUSH Cosmetics is most well-known for its bath products, including bath bombs, bubble bars, and bath oils.
My Favorite Products: Bath bombs, Lip scrubs, Bar soaps, Face masks.
NYX has been an affordable favorite of mine since the middle school days of blue eyeshadow and pink lip gloss. To this day, I still rock NYX almost every time I wear makeup. NYX can be found at Ulta and most drug stores like Walgreens and CVS.
My Favorite Products: Matte finish setting spray, Jumbo eye pencils, Ultimate edit petite eyeshadow palette.
Tarte is definitely one of my favorite brands on the mid-to-expensive end. I love everything in their Amazonian clay collection,and all of their face products are to die for!
My Favorite Products: Amazonian clay 12-hour blush, Shape tape concealer, Tartelette eyeshadow palette.
With so many amazing cruelty-free alternatives, it should be relatively easy to switch to companies that do not test their products on animals. A few popular brands that have been known to test on animals include MAC Cosmetics, L’Oreal, Avon, Clinique and Mary Kay.
No one is asking you to throw out your entire makeup collection and start from scratch. Makeup usually isn’t cheap, so don’t feel guilty finishing that MAC foundation before getting a new one. My challenge to you is this: do some research. Find out which pieces of your collection come from brands that test on animals and do everything possible to stop supporting those brands. Check out the lists found here to start swapping some of your old brands with cruelty-free ones. It may not seem like a huge step, but if some of us start implementing these small steps into our lifestyles, we will all be closer to a world free from unnecessary animal testing.