Everything You Need to Know About Cruelty-Free Makeup

The beauty industry has come a long way. This includes cruelty-free makeup as well. Revolutionized technology now enables humane ways to test any makeup or beauty product, so that you as a user can have a choice. However, not everybody understands the concept clearly, which is why this article is going to clarify the basic facts about cruelty-free products everyone should know.

Understanding what cruelty-free actually is 

A cruelty-free brand doesn’t test on animals in any part of the process. Certain countries even have laws that forbid any testing on animals, which means that you can easily find products that are cruelty-free. However, there is a little trick to all of this. A company can say that it is completely cruelty-free only if they conduct testing that is 100% cruelty-free around the world. In the next passage, we are going to explain this a bit further. 

What are the laws about cruelty-free makeup in China?

A confusing point in all of this is the laws in China. Until 2014, China had required all products to undergo animal testing, because that was the only way they wanted to put the products on the market. In 2014 this law was changed into allowed animal testing for all companies that are non-Chinese, which means that if any brand wants to sell their products in China, they have to be okay with them testing it on animals for their market. This means that brands that sell in China are actually not 100% cruelty-free. 

What is the difference between cruelty-free and vegan products?

To understand cruelty-free makeup a bit better, we also have to explain the difference between vegan and cruelty-free. Cruelty-free means that the brand doesn't support animal testing, but they can use animal ingredients, such as lanolin, beeswax and collagen, for example. Vegan, on the other hand, has no animal ingredients, but can still be tested on animals, which means that it is not completely cruelty-free. If you want to know for sure, here is how you can check.

How to know if a product is cruelty-free?

The first and easiest thing you can do to figure out if a product is cruelty-free is to check for the logo on it. The leaping bunny is one of the most recognizable logos. Some products also write the information on the back. However, if you don’t want to check once you are in the store, you can even Google the brands that have quality cruelty free makeup, and stick to those. There is only one thing to keep in mind here, and that is parent companies. 

What are parent companies?

Bigger companies sometimes own smaller brands, which makes them their parent companies. The small company can be cruelty-free, but the parent company can still test on animals. This poses a serious and delicate question: Is the small company really cruelty-free then? This is a matter of personal choice and how you choose to see the situation because people have different opinions. 

How can testing be done not to harm animals in the process?

Some may think that it is better to test products on animals, rather than give them to people. However, they don’t know that technology has advanced so much that now there is no need to hurt any animal. The only catch is that it costs a bit more, which certainly is not a problem for anyone who loves animals and wants to protect them. Some of the other testing methods include using human tissue and cells or creating computer modeling. There are even human volunteers. PETA suggests that these methods are even safer and more reliable because the animal tissue and human tissue are different, which means the results from animal testing are not necessarily correct.

Natural hair brushes vs synthetic hair

Although brushes made from natural animal hair sound like they are higher quality, the reality is far from it. Synthetic brushes are safer to use, and the reason is simple. They pick up fewer bacteria in between uses as opposed to natural hair that can be a great area for bacterial growth. So, they are safer for both you and animals. Again, we are going to mention that technology has advanced so much that now, synthetic brushes are soft, easy to use and high quality, so there is no need to reach for natural hair brushes. 

Now that you know all the basic facts about cruelty-free beauty products, you can continue to form your opinion and make a choice about buying from different brands. It is not black and white, which is why this guide was hopefully helpful and made some things clear for you.