CRUELTY FREE MAKE-UP 101
Hi there, if you are just like me and you are starting your transition to become 100% cruelty-free, here I have compiled all the information you need to start this process. If you have any questions or anything you’d like to add, please let me know!
WHAT does it mean for a product to be ‘cruelty-free’?
adjective: cruelty-free
(of cosmetics or other commercial products) manufactured or developed by methods which do not involve cruelty to animals.
PETA
“cruelty-free”
simply means that a product and its ingredients weren’t tested on animals.
Wikipedia
In the animal rights movement, cruelty-free is a label for products or activities that do not harm or kill animals anywhere in the world. Products tested on animals are not considered cruelty-free, since these tests are often painful and cause the suffering and death of millions of animals every year.
Research will have to become the new norm in your life and you’ll have to learn about the companies and logos which I am getting more in detail below. I am writing a post about my transition step by step, just check it up for my personal experience and my advice and guidance.
From the book Bosh! How to Live Vegan by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, I have compiled some basic information from the British vegan & make-up artist EmJ, where she shared her knowledge about what it means for a product to be vegetarian, vegan or cruelty free.
Vegetarian: the product is claiming not to contain animals, but it might include animal by-products, such as beeswax, lanolin or goat’s milk.
Vegan: the product is claiming not to include any animals or animal by-products
Cruelty free: a company that says it’s cruelty free claims not to test ingredients or the final product on animals, nor contract with another company which tests on animals.
Bosh! How to Live Vegan
A really important thing to note from these definitions is that even if a product is labelled as being vegan, it does not necessarily mean it is cruelty free. Equally, if a product is cruelty free it does not automatically mean is vegan.
To be clear: even if the item is technically vegan because it doesn’t contain any animal products, it doesn’t mean is cruelty free as the production process could have been involved in cruelty to animals.
Parent Companies
In this case, she explains: there are many companies that are classed as cruelty-free that do not test on animals, but they are owned by large corporations that do. This is a complicate area and it really comes down to making up your own mind about whether you are willing to purchase from companies like this.
She also says something that is really important and it’s to realise that we have the power of supply and demand. This means that the more we shop from cruelty-free brands, more money and attention will be giving to them, but also she adds you are still supporting and potentially funding those parent companies which do test on animals. I think that we need to make the right decisions, and we are the ones who decide what we want to do and what is right for us.
WHY
Well, this is very personal but just think about how many companies don’t test on animals and they are just as fine! It’s 2020, and there’s no need to use animal testing.
HOW
How to recognise if a brand is cruelty free?
Here we have different opinions regarding the requirements to consider a product or brand cruelty-free (for example, there are different requirements from PETA and Leaping Bunny and you can find the differences on their own websites). Below I list the most common ones:
1) The products and the ingredients used in those products cannot be tested on animals by anyone (including third parties) at any stage of the product or ingredient development (from bunnyarmy.org).
I like to make this more clear by dividing this in sections:
a. The ingredients are not tested on animals (by the company, supplier or third party)
b. The finished product is not tested on animals (again, by the company or a third party)
2) Does the brand sell in China? By law, if a company sells cosmetics in China, they have to be tested on animales, even if the brand doesn’t usually test them on animals.
There are two exceptions on this:
a. If the products are sold online, this doesn’t required animal testing by China.
b. And another common mistake, products can be manufactured in China and still be cruelty-free. Animal testing only occurs when products are sold in China.
So, if a company sells their products in stores in China, the company is paying China to test their products on animals in order to sell them in stores.
3) Does the brand have a cruelty free logo on it’s products or website?
Here are the logos you should look for and where they are from:
PETA
LEAPING BUNNY
CHOOSE CRUELTY-FREE
After doing some research online, I’ve learned that some smaller companies don’t have the logos but they are still cruelty-free. This is because they might not be able to afford to have the logo on their products just yet. You can confirm with them by emailing directly or checking the websites below.
WHERE
If in doubt, I’ll leave you some websites and Apps you can download and have in hand:
Websites
Apps
Bunny Free from PETA
Cruelty Cutter by Beagle Freedom Project
Happy Bunny
If you are still not sure if a product is cruelty free you can also check the ingredients.
The main ingredients to watch out for in skincare, makeup and beauty products are honey and animal fats (from Bosh! How to Live Vegan).
BRANDS
Please be aware that the cruelty-free status of the brand CAN CHANGE, for example if they decide to start selling their products in China in stores. I usually double-check the information here.
BRUSHES
Another think I wanted to mentioned are brushes, because they can also involve animal products. Usually ‘natural’ hair is animal hair. Just look up for synthetic bristles.
LASHES
Also, please double check the material of the lashes you are using — if they say ‘natural hair’ or ‘mink’ they are not cruelty-free. There are plenty synthetic options out there.
WHEN
Lastly, I wanted to add this question because I know myself that start this journey can be hard but it’s not impossible and in the end it is for the best.
I think if you wait for the right time there is never going to be one. Start slowly and try your best in every step.
If you want to take a look at my journey, have a look at this post.
And if you have any questions, please leave a comment, send me an email or contact me via instagram.
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