A Guide to Cruelty Free Cosmetics and Products

Cruelty Free Cosmetics and Household products are items that come from companies that have policies against animal testing. These days buying cruelty free has become popular because more and more consumers are not willing to fund cruel tests on animals simply for the next lip stick or other cosmetic product. The problem is many consumers find it hard to know which products have and have not been tested on animals and shockingly are sometimes misled by manufactures claims. This guide will help you know which cosmetics are cruelty free so you can be a compassionate consumer.

Why Cruelty Free?

Animals are subjected to cruel tests with chemicals put into there eyes, for example held still so they cannot even try and remove the painful and damaging substance. Most people want animals to be allowed to live free from unnecessary cruelty and buying cruelty free cosmetics allows them to ensure there money doesn't fund these cruel tests. Buying cruelty free is voting with your cash telling companies that you want them to stop testing there cosmetics on animals.

Cruelty Free Cosmetics Scams

Some manufactures play on the consumers good nature in wanting to avoid animal cruelty and mislabel there cosmetics as 'not tested on animals' or with a similar misleading statement when the products ingredients are still tested on animals. You should not necessarily be reassured by claims on the bottle. Buy products from companies that are independently verified by an animal protection group.

Independent Cruelty Free Assurance

Caring Consumer from PETA and the Go Cruelty Free by BUAV are assurance programs that allow you to find companies that are signed up to cruelty free statements for there cosmetics, household products or both. There are also other guides available from other animal protection groups.

Their websites contain listings of these cruelty free companies and both groups will send you a copy of their guide for free. You can put the guide in your purse and refer to it when you are buying your cosmetics and household items.

The Bad 'Good' Guys

There is one more layer of cruelty free cosmetic scam that gets past even the independent assurance, this is parent companies. Some companies that are signed up as cruelty free may have a parent company that tests on animals.

Two companies to watch out for are Body Shop and Tom's of Maine. Beauty company The Body Shop is now owned by L'Oreal that test on animals and Toothpaste company Tom's of Maine is own by animal testers Colgate! This means that the company's cosmetics are cruelty free but you may still be funding a parent company that conducts animal tests.

If you order a copy of the cruelty free cosmetics guides remember to cross out these companies if you would prefer to avoid them.

Medical Animal Testing

You may thing animal testing for medical advancement is justified, but scientists are now arguing that animal research puts human lives at risk. Please have a look at my hug Animal Testing: Putting Human Lives at Risk

Eating Cruelty Free

As well as cruelty-free cosmetics you can start to reduce your impact on animals with the food you eat. You can cut down on the animal products you eat or even go vegetarian or vegan. Please check out my guide How to go Vegan or Vegetarian Painlessly as a simple starting point.