This is a topic dear to many of our hearts. I was asked by a friend of mine to make a post about Cruelty Free Products, which I was more then happy to do! :) I put together a list of Companies That are Cruelty Free to PETA's (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) standards as well as a list of companies that DO test on animals currently. Before we get into the lists, let’s go over how and why animal testing has been used in the cosmetic industry.
There are a number of animal tests that can be done on cosmetic formulas and ingredients. This is a brief, very broken down, and less graphic description of each test and how it's done. The primary tests include the following.
1. Draize test - This is a procedure used to determine dermal irritation. Animals used are albino rabbits who have much more sensitive skin than humans. Patches of the test material are placed on skin and readings are taken at 24 and 72 hours. The skin is then graded for irritation and reactions.
2. Eye irritancy test – Tests what happens if the cosmetic gets into the eye. It involves albino rabbits again and compounds are put into the eyes. Evaluations take place at 24, 48, 72 hrs and up to 7 days.
3. Guinea Pig Maximization test – This test measures for the sensitizing potential of an ingredient and involves injecting the compound under the skin followed by topical application.
Why should animals suffer and die so we can have "Smokey" eyes?!?!? They shouldn't. Thank goodness there are so many companies that are Cruelty Free! It is so easy now to purchase a Cruelty Free product over a product from a company that does animal testing!!!
There are even Vegan Choices for Cruelty-Free Makeup
Urban Decay offers many cosmetics that are not only cruelty-free, but also vegan. Vegan makeup includes products that are made from fruits and vegetables, so check the labels for ingredient listings if you are unsure.
Cruelty-Free Makeup Brushes
Unless a makeup brush is specifically labeled as synthetic, Taklon, or nylon, it's going to contain animal hair. Unfortunatly in most cases these brushes are made in foreign countries and the animals they get the hair from are killed in inhumane ways. The only way anyone can be sure of purchasing and using brushes that haven't been the result of an animal's suffering, is to use 100% synthetic brushes.
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-Urban Decay, The Body Shop, and Eco Tools, to name only a couple, offer high-quality, cruelty-free synthetic makeup brushes.MAC also has a number of vegan brushes. You have to seek them out, though, brush by brush, on their site to see what each brush is made of. Vegans will want a brush described as having "synthetic fibers".
Read the fine Print!
Some companies claim that their products are cruelty-free or not tested on animals and where the finished product may not have been tested on animals, the individual ingredients have!! Sometimes companies claim that they don’t test on animals, but they contract other companies to do the testing. Sick...
Companies THAT TEST on Animals!
I was shocked and disgusted at the following list of companies that either test on animals or contract laboratories to do the testing for them! These companies were pulled from a list available on www.peta.org Many companies that do test on animals have some cruelty-free products. Look to see how many of these items are in your home, or you have used in the past!
**Companies are Listed by Brand/Product-Parent Company**
- Aussie (Procter & Gamble)
- Aveeno (Johnson & Johnson)
- Axe (Unilever)
- Braun (Procter & Gamble)
- Chapstick (Pfizer)
- Christina Aguilera Perfumes (Procter & Gamble)
- Clairol (Procter & Gamble)
- Clean & Clear (Johnson & Johnson)
- Clearasil (Reckitt Benckiser)
- Colgate-Palmolive Co.
- Crest (Procter & Gamble)
- DOLCE & GABBANA (Procter & Gamble)
- Dove (Unilever)
- Escada Fragrances (Procter & Gamble)
- Estée Lauder
- Garnier (L'Oreal)
- Gillette Co.(Procter & Gamble)
- Giorgio Armani (L'Oreal)
- Gucci Fragrances (Procter & Gamble)
- Head & Shoulders (Procter & Gamble)
- Herbal Essences (Procter & Gamble)
- Hugo Boss (Procter & Gamble)
- Lacoste Fragrances (Procter & Gamble)
- Lancôme (L'Oreal)
- Listerine (Johnson & Johnson)
- L'Oreal USA
- Lubriderm (Johnson & Johnson)
- Mary Kay
- Matrix Essentials (L'Oreal)
- Max Factor (Procter & Gamble)
- Maybelline (L'Oreal)
- Mizani (L'Oreal)
- Nair (Church & Dwight)
- Natural Instincts (Procter & Gamble)
- Neutrogena (Johnson & Johnson)
- Nice ‘n Easy (Procter & Gamble)
- Olay (Procter & Gamble)
- Old English (Reckitt Benckiser)
- Old Spice (Procter & Gamble)
- Ralph Lauren Fragrances (L'oreal)
- Redken (L'Oreal)
- Shiseido Cosmeitcs
- Skin ID (Johnson & Johnson)
- Suave (Unilever)
- Vidal Sasson (Procter & Gamble)
Companies that DO NOT test on Animals and Are Cruelty Free!!
Major credit to the follow companies that don't make animals suffer for the products they offer! Again, this list is pulled from www.peta.org and if you are interested in more information please check out their site!
All companies that are included on PETA’s cruelty-free list have signed PETA’s statement of assurance or provided a statement verifying that neither they nor their ingredient suppliers conduct or commission any animal tests on ingredients, formulations, or finished products.
- Bare Escentuals (Shiseido)
- bareFaced Mineral Cosmetics
- Bath & Body Works
- Beauty 21
- Beauty Bliss Cosmetics
- Beauty Without Cruelty
- Bobbi Brown (Estee Lauder)
- Bonicca
- Bonne Bell
- Burt's Bees (Clorox)
- C.O. Bigelow
- Carmex
- CertainDri
- Cheeky Cosmetics
- CiCi Cosmetics
- Clinique (Estee Lauder)
- Color Me Beautiful
- E.L.F. Cosmetics
- Eco Minerals V
- Eco Tools Cosmetic Brushes
- Ed Hardy Habit
- Flirt! (Estee Lauder)
- Garden Botanika
- Gosh Cosmetics
- Green Beauty Cosmetics
- Hard Candy
- Heartbreaker Cosmetics
- Hello Kitty
- Honeybee Gardens
- Hourglass Cosmetics
- Illuminare Cosmetics
- L.A. Colors (Beauty 21)
- L.A. Girl (Beauty 21)
- LA Minerals
- LUSH Cosmetics
- M.A.C. Cosmetics
- Manic Panic
- Montagne Jeunesse
- Nail Couture LA
- NYX Los Angeles Inc.
- OPI Products (Coty)
- Palmer's
- Physicians Formula
- Prestige Cosmetics
- Pur Minerals
- Revlon
- Rockstar Cosmetics
- Shany Cosmetics
- Smashbox Cosmetics (Estee Lauder)
- Stila Cosmetics
- Tarte Cosmetics
- The Body Shop (L'Oreal)
- Too Faced Cosmetics
- Urban Decay
- Victoria's Secret
- wet n wild
- Whole Foods Market, 365
- Zuzu Cosmetics
Labels can be deceiving, so be careful. No specific laws exist regarding cruelty-free labeling of products, so companies like and will use loop holes. While it is unlikely that a company would put blatantly false information about its animal testing practices on its products, the statements that it does make might indeed mislead consumers.
I am not making this post trying to sound superior or better then anyone else. I just want you, the consumer, to be aware. I have purchased and do own a lot of the brands that are currently testing on animals. I was not aware they did, and this was very eye opening for me. For some reason I had thought or at least told myself that animal testing for beauty products was illegal now, but that's not the case! Am I going to go and throw away all the brands I have that test on animals, no, but next time I go shopping I will make sure to choose a cruelty free product over an animal tested product if possible! I hope some of you found this helpful and maybe found out something you didn't already know!
XOXO,
