Animal cruelty is a sensitive topic that was not given that importance before, but a lot of stern steps have been taken so as to lower down the intensity of animal cruelty nowadays. Animal cruelty is defined as “Any activity that either directly or indirectly harms the animals.” However, it is not considered as animal cruelty when harm is done to animals in order to protect your life but it is considered as such when it has done in a humane way that will minimize the pain to the animal. Also, harming or killing animals for as an economic gain is included under animal cruelty and is considered as a serious crime.
According to psychological studies, people who caused harm to animals just for pleasure are more likely to do so to humans too. Many animals are very badly treated in circuses and no animal likes or wants to stand upright on their head, ride cycle, balance on balls, jump through fire rings etc. They have no choice other than doing such, otherwise, they might end up being tortured by their trainers. Trainers use whips, hunter or even electric pods for torturing the animals in order to train them which is obviously a serious type of animal cruelty.
Let us take a rabbit as an example. When you think of rabbits, what do you think of? Do you remember your Mommy or Daddy reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit to you? Do visions of Peter, hopping down the bunny trail, pop into your mind? Or do you think of the Easter Bunny?
Maybe you already know some of the horrors of animal testing. If you do, you may already know about the Draize Test. Let me explain further, this Draize Test was developed by toxicologists Jacob M. Spines and John H. Draize in the year 1944 for the Food and Drug Administration. There are two versions of the Draize Test. One tests for eye irritation and the other tests for skin irritation.
The American National Anti-Vivisection Society cites how solutions of the product in question are directly applied to animals’ eyes for the eye irritation. Their eyelids are clipped open and they are placed in restraining stocks during the testing period that can last for several days. This prevents the animals’ natural response to rid the eye of the irritant by blinking and tearing as well as rubbing and cleaning the area.
How many products can you think of that would not irritate your eyes if you were tied down with your eyes pried open? The skin sensitivity test is done by applying the product to skin that has been shaved, abraded, and covered with plastic. Abrasion of the skin is usually achieved by using sticky tape to remove the first several layers of skin.
Now I ask you, would you intentionally irritate your skin before applying a product to it? That situation should be left to medical testing, which is another topic entirely. After the testing, the lucky animals have sustained such severe damage that they are of no further use to their torturers. They are then killed.
Animal rights activists are well aware of how poorly some animals are treated by large companies that want to test out products before labeling them safe for humans. Countless innocent animals have been injured and subjected to horrible conditions just so brands can have some easy test subjects. Most of the commercial beauty products have animal products and/or have been tested on animals.
With an increase of awareness to the senseless and cruel vivisection industry, there has been an improvement in the number of brands and products that do not contain animal by-products and are tested on animals. Also, there are some products that are not tested on animals but does contain animal-derived ingredients. In other words, a cruelty-free cosmetic may not automatically mean that it is vegan. A vegan does not incorporate any animal ingredients on the product. See the illustration below. So, it is important to make use of the available resources, namely the Leaping Bunny, Beauty Without Cruelty or the PETA Whitelist, in order to give you a guarantee that the products you buy are both vegan and cruelty-free.
On a brighter side, with the rise in cruelty-free brands, it is becoming much easier for animal lovers both hardcore and casual to purchase high-quality products from brands that don’t abuse animals. It’s a small step we can all take to support our furry friends. New to cruelty-free brands? Check out the following brands below:
1. Urban Decay
Urban Decay markets itself as both bold and edgy, but also offers a lot of neutrals and staple products. For instance, their Primer Potion is a good primer for eyeshadow best suited for oily lids and they have the All-Nighter Setting Spray that is best suited for oily skin. Click the photo below to see the complete magic this primer gives.
Their eyeshadows are very pigmented and both available in bold and neutral shades or vibrant colors, as it is the case with the Naked palettes.
Take note that this brand is both cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny-certified although their parent company which is the L’Oreal still conduct tests on animals.
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
2. Anastasia Beverly Hills
Anastasia Beverly Hills concentrates in brow products and make some of the finest ones in the market. They are available in various formats such as pomade, pencil, and powder but also in a lot of shades. Anastasia always has your back especially when you have eyebrows that are hard to color match or fill out.
Furthermore, they now have extended their collection to a full makeup line other than just the brow products. For instance, check out their contour kit below.
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
3. Pacifica
Pacifica has a wide range of products in a variety of delicious scents. The company prides itself on being cruelty-free, 100 percent vegan, and gluten-free. No animal testing, and no animal components in any of their products. If you’re a big traveler, pick up their Good Karma Skin Care Set kit, packed with travel-sized giftable box, day and night face cream, a facial wash and a lip tint so you can get a wide range of samples. Click the photo below for more examples. Pacifica has wonderful body butter, too.
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
4. Lush
Lush is a huge favorite among many of us for bath and body products, so it’s great that they are among the ranks of the cruelty-free! The company has a specific policy that states it will not purchase any ingredients that come from companies that test on animals. Of course, none of their products are tested on animals either, making them a great choice for those of us who want to be animal-friendly. Not really a bath person? Give Lush’s best-selling Bon Bomb a chance, it will change your mind! It’s lime and mango-scented for a nice refreshing and relaxing bath. Don’t forget to click the photo below to see more positive feedbacks!
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
5. Marc Jacobs Beauty
Marc Jacobs Beauty is a luxurious makeup line where you’re going to love the black, sleek packaging and the superb quality pigments. If you wish to get a marvelous full coverage foundation, check out their Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation. Also, they also offer tons of high-quality and beautiful eyeshadow palettes.
Marc Jacobs Beauty is a cruelty-free brand, but please take note that their perfumes are not. They fall under to a different brand which is not cruelty-free, the Marc Jacobs Fragrances. Click the photo below to see a full transformation.
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
6. Too Faced
For those who choose a natural-looking makeup with a small edge, the Too Faced brand is great for you. They offer most of their products in neutral colors plus they have a very cute packaging.
They are especially famous for their pressed powder products such as the Primed & Poreless Pressed Powder which is best suited for oily skin and their Chocolate Bar Eye Palette that has neutral colors and a chocolatey smell. Also, one of their best-selling mascaras that I wanted to try is the Better Than Sex, click the photo below to know the reason why.
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
7. E.l.f
E.l.f. offers reasonable products that range around $1 to $3 each individual item that comes from a sleek packaging. If you want to know more of these reasonable products, click the photo below. Most of their makeup usually do not measure up to high-end brands although they have some excellent products. For those who are on budget or just a makeup newbie, their low-priced products make them as a great brand. Keep in mind that not all of their makeup brushes are cruelty-free since some of them are made of natural animal hair.
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon
So, there you go. If you really want cruelty free cosmetics, then I have another advice. Look for a company that provides creams and lotions that were tested on humans, for effectiveness. There was never any question about the safety of the ingredients. Checking the methods that they use in testing their beauty products would be a great help.
If they are truly cruelty-free cosmetics, they will not contain artificial preservatives, fragrances, dyes or other additives. The solutions that we need to care for our skin are vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, and antioxidants. In other words, they are nutrients. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section below. I’m happy to help! 🙂
