Cruelty-Free Shopping in A Nutshell
Since you’re already on this site, I think it’s safe to assume you already have a soft spot for animals. By shopping cruelty-free, you’re helping save animals and using your purchasing power to increase the demand for more compassionate products.
Even though beauty brands are starting to catch up with the times by ditching animal testing (amen hallelujah!), there are still a bunch of companies that haven’t yet made the compassionate switch.
It’s important to know that in the U.S., animal testing is NOT required by law. Neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requires that cosmetics or household products be tested on animals.
In fact the FDA’s supports alternatives to animal testing.
“FDA supports the development and use of alternatives to whole-animal testing as well as adherence to the most humane methods available within the limits of scientific capability when animals are used for testing the safety of cosmetic products. We will continue to be a strong advocate of methodologies for the refinement, reduction, and replacement of animal tests with alternative methodologies that do not employ the use of animals.”
So why do some companies still test cosmetics on animals?
Companies will sometimes choose to develop or use new, untested ingredients in their products and want to assure their safety. Animal tests aren’t even accurate; after all, they’re testing on non-human species! And some companies just want to brag about the unique beneficial properties of specific ingredients and need data to back up their claims.
And then there’s China… China requires that all cosmetics be tested on animals before entering their market. So if American cosmetics companies decide to sell their products in China, they are automatically lose their cruelty-free status.
The Solution: Check out PETA’s Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide, a free handy resource that lists all the companies that do and don’t animal-test. Also, be on the lookout for either Leaping Bunny and/or PETA’s Cruelty-Free Bunny logos on all of your beauty products. These logos are issued to companies that comply with strict cruelty-free standards. Not all cruelty-free beauty brands use these logos, so when in doubt, e-mail companies directly. xx
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)
Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at Sunny@VeganBeautyReview.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.Filed in: Vegan Beauty
