An IN DEPTH Guide to Cruelty Free Beauty
Why Companies Hurt Animals, AND How to Avoid them
Buchanan Beauty uses only cruelty free brands and tools, as well as compostable disposables.
Did you know that it’s even hard to find statistics about how many companies still test on animals, because the definition of cruelty free is still somewhat free-form? What is known is that approximately 100,000-200,000 animals die EVERY YEAR to cosmetic testing alone (according to the Humane Society). These include Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice. (Dogs and Monkeys are not used to test cosmetics, however they are used to test other types of chemicals. This article will be focusing on the effects of cosmetics testing, as I cannot speak to other kinds, like household cleaning products.)
Being “Cruelty Free” in essence boils down to not testing on animals. HOWEVER, many companies claim that they are cruelty free when in reality, they are not. In order to be truly cruelty free, a company must be certified through the Leaping Bunny Program, “which requires that no new animal testing be used in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or ingredient suppliers” (leapingbunny.org), or PETA. If a company claims that it’s cruelty free but is not certified, it’s possible that
A) The cosmetics were not tested on animals, but the ingredients in the previous labs were, or
B) The company sells to China (Why China? More on this later).
Additionally, products can be Vegan but not Cruelty Free, or Cruelty Free but not Vegan. How?
Vegan simply means that there are no animal products in the cosmetics. There can be no animal products, while still having tested on animals. And Cruelty Free cosmetics just means that they didn’t test on animals, not that the ingredients list doesn’t contain animal products.
SO. Without being too graphic, what is animal testing? In short, tests include:
“Skin and eye irritation tests where chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of restrained rabbits without any pain relief.
“Repeated force-feeding studies lasting weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards such as cancer or birth defects.
“Widely condemned ‘lethal dose’ tests, in which animals are forced to swallow large amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death.
“At the end of a test, the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking or decapitation. Pain relief is not provided. In the United States, a large percentage of the animals used in such testing (such as laboratory-bred rats and mice) are not counted in official statistics and receive no protection under the Animal Welfare Act” (https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/cosmetics-testing-faq).
SO WHY DO COMPANIES TEST ON ANIMALS, you may be screaming? (Trust me, I’ve done my fair share of screaming and weeping as I do research.)
In essence, there is no good reason. According to PETA,
“Companies test on animals to provide data that they can use to defend themselves when they are sued by injured consumers—even though some courts have ruled that the FDA has failed to show that the results of animal tests can be extrapolated to humans. The unreliability of animal tests allows companies to put virtually any product on the market.
“If cosmetics or household products blind or poison animals during tests, they are often marketed anyway. Companies use the fact that the products have been tested—rather than the actual test results—to support the claim that they are conscientious. In most cases, companies settle out of court, preferring to pay off the injured consumer rather than bring the unreliability of their testing practices to light. In some cases, courts have ruled in favor of the injured consumers.
In the end, animal tests protect no one” (Peta.org).
“But Eliza,” you might be saying, “companies HAVE to test on animals. What other reliable methods are there?” Why thank you gentle reader, as that brings me to my next point.
There are plenty.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine suggests,
“Known Safe Ingredients: Thousands of ingredients have been used for many years, and we already have a lot of information about them.
Threshold of Toxicological Concern: Based on knowledge about other chemicals with similar structures and some information about an ingredient, scientists can establish a level below which an ingredient is unlikely to be harmful.
Computer-Based Methods: The potential toxicity of an ingredient can be predicted by assessing the chemical structures and properties of a few or many thousands of chemicals, together with mathematical algorithms and supercomputing power.
In Vitro Methods: From simple cell cultures to 3D models of human skin, liver, and other organs, there are many methods available to assess cosmetic safety” (pcrm.org).
In fact, the world is starting to change how it treats cosmetic testing. In 2013, the EU instituted a ban on testing on animals within the EU, AND the marketing of products that test on animals outside the EU. Norway, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey, India, Guatemala, Taiwan, and New Zealand have since instituted bans on testing or marketing. Canada and Australia also have active pending legislation underway.
While the United States has no ban on animal testing, California passed the Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act, where any products tested on animals cannot be sold. HOWEVER, that law does not apply to products that were tested in China.
Which brings us back to China.
In China, animal testing is required BY LAW for all foreign cosmetics. That means that any cosmetics that are sold in China are not cruelty free.
“But wait,” you think, “I’m not buying the products in China. So what they sell in the states is cruelty free, right?” Not necessarily dear friend. You see, even if a company isn’t directly testing on animals, if they sell in China, then they’re paying millions of dollars every year IN ORDER to test on animals. So, sure, maybe they’re not doing it themselves. But they’re funding it.
Unfortunately, that means that a lot of major brands aren’t cruelty free (thanks, China).
So, to cut to the chase, here’s a complied list of brands that AREN’T cruelty free.
https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/companies-that-test-on-animals/ (I didn’t even try to count how many there are, because it’s too. Damn. Many.)
Well, shit. Right? But what can we possibly do?
Honestly? There’s a fair amount. The START is to not support companies that aren’t cruelty free. And though it may not seem like it, there actually are plenty. Here’s a great sample list of those brands: https://logicalharmony.net/cruelty-free-brand-list/
Plus, you can sign this petition to end animal cruelty: https://action.hsi.org/page/25047/petition/1
And finally, you can download the LeapingBunny.org’s “Compassionate Shopping Guide” or their Leaping Bunny Cruelty Free App to help you navigate products while you’re shopping!
Did I miss anything? Did anything shock you? Leave me a comment down below to let me know what you thought.
