Is Your Makeup Cruelty-Free?

Look in the mirror. Are you wearing makeup? Do you moisturize your skin? Is your hair clean? It is okay if you answered yes to the above questions or if you answered no. What you need to be asked is have you checked the facts on the brands you choose to use. Have those brands tested their products on animals or are they still testing on animals?

Product safety is a huge concern for those producing the item and for the consumer. As the consumer, you should want to know what is going onto your skin or into your hair. You may have tried several different brands and established which one works best for you, which is great, but have you researched how those brands test their products or do you check the label for indication of animal testing?

The label “cruelty-free” or “vegan” might be found on the packaging of the item you buy. This is usually a sign that the product has not been tested on animals before reaching your palms. However, there still begs the question if the company tests on other articles of their products. In the United States it would not be a lie for Victoria’s Secret to label a product as “cruelty-free,” yet the moment that package reaches China, it is government mandated to be tested on animals.

Some companies will typically pay the extra expenses for the Chinese government to test their products on animals before reaching their shelves, to make a little extra money. To be sure that a brand is 100% cruelty-free, you will need to know if it also sells in China.

For a little more information on how animal testing is done, you can check out the Humane Society’s article on Cosmetics Testing: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/fact-sheet-cosmetic-testing

A summary of the animal tests includes: swatching irritating products on bare animal skin, force-feeding products in large quantities to animals, and dropping particles into their eyes.

I prefer to use brands that are in no way associated with animal testing. Some of my favorite brands are Smashbox, Pacifica, Tarte, and Lush. These brands do not sell in China, nor do they test on animals in the states.

Other known cruelty-free brands are:

Wet n Wild

Aveda

Urban Decay

Kat Von D

E.L.F.

These are not the only cruelty-free makeup brands, but they are some popular ones. They can be found online, at Sephora, Ulta, Lush, JCPenny, Kohl’s, Target, or other cosmetics retailers.

Here is a list of some brands that allow for animal testing on their products:

Victoria’s Secret

Avon

GlamGlow

Benefit

Maybelline

Mary Kay

Elizabeth Arden

O.P.I

There are things you can do if you are interested in not only changing out your everyday products for animal-free tested items but also would like to help make a difference in how allergy testing is regulated for the cosmetics industry. Check out the Humane Society’s petition and do research online. They are trying to have a bill passed that requires alternative methods to be used to test cosmetic products, as well as the ban of animal-tested products from other countries. Check out the link above to find out more information.

If you know of any brands that support other positive movements, or are cruelty-free and not listed above, please feel free to comment down below.

sarah

Sarah is a UAB student and an intern for GirlSpring.

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