Cruelty free: beauty brands that do not test products on animals
Without starting an "investigation into whether this practice is right or wrong, it is good to clarify that this study simply wants to be a guide for all those people who love and respect animals, and therefore are opposed to their use in experimentation, in particular in world of cosmetics.
The issue is highly controversial, since many scholars have considered the pros and cons of laboratory tests, but the fact remains that animal testing is not ethically lawful.
According to PETA, the largest animal welfare organization in the world, more than 100 million animals around the planet are used to test beauty products. Something that for most of them means mistreatment, torture and death. Something that, for this reason, is intolerable.
Excluding images that could hurt your sensitivity, it is no mystery what happens in the workshops dedicated to this practice. Just type on Google to see the terrible consequences of animal testing: rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, cats and many other living beings are subject to skin or eye irritation, poisoning or genetic damage.
Here's what PETA is saying:
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Mice and rats are forced to inhale toxic gases, dogs are forced to ingest pesticides, and rabbits are rubbed with corrosive chemicals on their skin and eyes. Many of these tests are not even required by law and often produce inaccurate or erroneous results.
The law prohibits testing ... but is this really the case?
The law effectively banning animal testing went into effect in 2013, but with extensions and exceptions. At this moment, in the European Union, the sale and production of cosmetic products is prohibited on European soil (stick to this detail!) If they are first tested on animals.
But of course, the law is made, and so here's the trap. Although it is prohibited on European soil, it is not prohibited elsewhere. In fact, 80% of countries outside the EU continue to experiment with animals, not having a law governing it.
This is the case of China, the largest European customer. This is where the trap lies: even if a cosmetic product cannot be tested in Europe, the brand can order a non-EU country to do it for them. In fact, Chinese authorities still require animal testing for exported foreign products. This means, in general terms, that if a European cosmetic brand is exported to China, it must be tested on animals before being marketed, even if that particular brand does not do so in Europe.
Therefore, it is now easy to wonder if the makeup or cream you used this morning was not tested on animals. Advertising may indicate this, but this does not guarantee that the same brand will not encourage animal testing outside Europe.
How to know which cosmetic product is not tested on animals?
It is not always easy to distinguish which cosmetic products are tested on animals and which are not. Above all because the law does not oblige the company to specify it on the packaging: this is undoubtedly one of the most controversial exceptions and one of the most assiduous fights of animal welfare associations, which ask for it to be made mandatory.
Fortunately, the Cruelty Free Foundation has designed a logo for brands that don't do animal experiments to put on their product packaging. If you see this drawing in black and white (or similar) with the appearance of a rabbit, it means that the product is cruelty free!
Cruelty free beauty products: here are the brands that DO NOT test on animals
On the PETA website it is possible to check which cosmetic brands do not actually practice animal testing. The list below only includes companies that do not use ingredients of animal origin in their composition, that do not carry out tests on animals in Europe or other countries and that have signed the PETA animal safety declaration or have submitted a document verifying that neither they nor their suppliers perform, require or pay for the experimental tests.
Some brands of cruelty-free cosmetics:
Fortunately, there are several brands animal cruelty-free, even if not all are easily available in physical stores, at least in Italy.
PETA has divided them into several categories: companies that sell vegan products, companies that are licensed to use the cruelty free logo and companies affiliated with the organization.We've selected some of the most popular, but you can check out the full list here. None of them have any animal compounds or run tests on them:
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Anastasia Beverly Hills - Soft Glam II Mini Eyeshadow Palette exclusively for Sephora at € 32.90
BareMinerals
BareMinerals - Broad spectrum powder foundation SPF 15 on Amazon for € 29.80
Kat Von D Beauty
Kat Von D Beauty - Liquid Eyeliner on Sephora for € 21.90
Inglot
Inglot - Set Eyeliner Gel Black 77 + Duraline Intensifying liquid for pigments on Amazon for € 34.00
Marc Jacobs Beauty
Marc Jacobs Beauty - Liquid Le Marc exclusive Sephora creamy liquid lipstick for € 20.00
My Konjac Sponge
The famous konjac sponge launched by them we find it in Italy distributed on Amazon by Ocean Safe Line for € 11.99
NYX Los Angeles Inc.
NYX Professional Makeup - Ultimate Shadow Palette Eyeshadows on offer on Amazon for € 17.99
The Body Shop
The Bodyshop - Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash on Amazon for € 18.52
Too Faced Cosmetics
Yoo Faced Cosmetics - Better Than Sex Waterproof Waterproof Mascara in Sephora exclusive for € 27.90
Urban Decay
Urban Decay - All Nighter Makeup Fixing Spray in Sephora exclusivity for € 33.50
Smashbox Cosmetics
Smashbox Cosmetics - Primer with Photo Finish Minimizing pores on Amazon for € 33.54
Tarte Cosmetics
Tarte Cosmetics - Hamptons Weekender Face Palette: highlighter, blush and contouring on Sephora for € 21.00
Wet n WIld
Wet n Wild - Photo Focus Foundation - Soft Beige Foundation on Amazon for € 7.29
W7 Cosmetics
W7 | Eyeshadow Palette | Color Me Nude Eyeshadow Palette | 12 Shades on Amazon for € 12.00
Brands that experiment on animals
And here comes the disappointment, because in this list you will find some of the most famous brands. In fact, you've probably used a few. The following brands are listed by PETA and are companies that produce products tested on animals at some point in their development, as the organization explains on its website. In other words, they may not be tested in Europe, but they are in others. Countries to be able to market them, as we explained in the case of China.
You can consult them all in the PETA directory.
It should be noted that there are brands that belong to the same company and whose products are on both lists: those that test on animals and those that don't.
Sometimes it is simply due to lack of information, other times because we decide to look the other way. The fact is that the term of animal testing, in addition to its legal prohibition, has another stronger way of getting to the end: to stop buying. products whose brands abuse animals.
And now that you have this information, what are you going to do with it?
