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Cruel Deception: Debunking The Cruelty-Free Name
April 13, 2019
What Is Cruelty-Free Beauty? Interestingly enough, there are no laws or regulations related to the notion of cruelty-free in beauty and skincare. So, the understanding of it is pretty vague and the labels may be quite misleading. It can imply several things:
  1. No animal testing was involved
  2. The ingredients were tested on animals, but not the final product
  3. Relying to another company’s animal testing results
  4. Animal testing was done abroad
Why Does Animal Testing Still Exist? Some companies conduct animal tests to examine the safety of certain cosmetic ingredients, which are inaccurate and not effective most of the time as the response to the chemicals varies from species to species. Animal testing is still prevalent, but the practice has been dying off in recent years, or has been outright banned in many countries. For example, the European Union banned animal testing in 2013, and made it illegal for products sold within its borders to be tested on animals. Brands outside of the EU must also pass the cruelty-free examination for products to be sold within. You might have made the assumption that most major beauty companies were on board with becoming cruelty-free, but that is not the case. Animal testing is actually mandatory by law in China, for all imported cosmetic products manufactured outside the country, including:
  • Makeup
  • Skincare
  • Nail Products
  • Hair Products
  • Whitening Products
  • Perfume
  • Hair Dye
  • Deodorant
  • Sunscreen
China lifted the animal-testing requirements for cosmetics manufactured within the country in 2014 (hair dye, deodorants, and sunscreens are exceptions to this updated legislation). While this is an important step in the right direction, we should still note that cosmetics manufactured outside of China are still bound to animal-testing. Also, even though animal-testing is no longer required by local products, it is not banned either. Even though there are alternative testing methods to test the safety of products, animal-testing may still occur. However, this law does not apply to foreign cosmetics sold in Hong Kong. Many cruelty-free companies sell products in Hong Kong, but not the rest of China. Popular Brands That Are Not Cruelty-Free Benefit: There is often a misconception that Benefit is a cruelty-free brand. Unfortunately, their policy is not to test on animals unless required by law. Benefit products are sold in China, where animal testing is mandatory. Estée Lauder: Estée Lauder claims that they are “committed to the elimination of animal testing”, yet they do animal testing where required by law. But Estée Lauder owns a few other brands that remain cruelty-free despite the policy of the parent company (eg. Too Faced and Becca). L’Oréal: L’Oréal claims that their company does not test any of its products or ingredients on animals, but they do sell their products in China where animal testing is mandatory for foreign cosmetics. Nonetheless, L’Oréal also own brands that have remained cruelty-free even under ownership (eg. Urban Decay and NYX). MAC Cosmetics: MAC Cosmetics used to be a cruelty-free brand, but now sells in China, meaning that the brand engages in animal-testing and is no longer cruelty- free. NARS: NARS was a cruelty-free staple brand for so many animal-rights believers up until 2018, when they decided to join the Chinese market, meaning that they are no longer a cruelty-free brand. How To Shop Cruelty-Free? To shop cruelty-free, it is crucial not to support brands that do animal testing in order to sell their products in the lucrative Chinese market. You should also look at the fine print when reading brand policies, because many of them will claim to be cruelty-free but then include a sneaky clause about “except when required by law”.  If the brand is sold in China, then this clause means that they are not cruelty-free. It is equally essential to support brands that refuse to partake animal-cruelty, even if that decision is detrimental to their revenues. Use existing databases, like PETA’s “Beauty without Bunnies” to find out if the company is naughty or nice to animals! Another good source for the ultimate guide to cruelty-free makeup is Cruelty Free Kitty. https://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/ultimate-guide-to-cruelty-free-makeup/ Our Favourite Brands Here are our list of favourite cruelty-free brands. Beyond going simply cruelty-free, many brands take it a step further by doing “good” and doing “right”. Many brands boast ingredient lists that are organic, locally-sourced, or vegan. Agent Nateur: sources non-GMO, non-toxic ingredients from small suppliers in the US and Europe, known for its all-natural deodorants Drunk Elephant: completely cruelty-free and avoids using any of the “suspicious six”: essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) Glossier: does not engage in animal-cruelty and does not sell products where animal testing is required by law Indie Lee: part of The Leaping Bunny Program, company also lists all the ingredients they avoid using Kat Von D: completely cruelty-free, and working on reformulating all their makeup products to be vegan Korres: stands by cruelty-free principles and even pulled out of selling in China due to animal testing Lime Crime: certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program, all products are also vegan Lush: adheres to a strict anti-animal testing policy, and does not partner with suppliers that engage in animal testing NYX: remains cruelty-free despite their acquisition by L’Oreal in 2014 Pacifica: aside from being cruelty-free, products are completely vegan and gluten-free, they also use recyclable packaging as part of its commitment to sustainable practices Smashbox: PETA-certified, and does not do animal testing during production or sell in countries where animal testing is required by law. Stila: initially sold products in China but has completely pulled out from the country, the company is now PETA-certified and does not do animal testing Tarte: products are not tested on animals, and a good number of its products are vegan, each product has a detailed ingredients composition list on its website too! Tatcha: part of PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program and does not test on animals The Body Shop: cruelty-free and completely against animal-testing, their complete range of brushes is vegan too! Too Faced: remains committed to its cruelty-free founding principles under Estée Lauder’s ownership, the company has pledged not to enter any market where animal testing is required by law Urban Decay: cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny-certified, even under the ownership of parent company L’Oréal

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