Why Cruelty-Free?
Why Cruelty-free? There are so many valid reasons and each them are worth thinking about. As someone who is very passionate about veganism, I only purchase & use cruelty-free & vegan products. I also try to use brands that align with my beliefs. Use natural ingredients, no harmful chemicals, and each ingredient benefits my skin or hair is someway. All ingredients that you can read & know what they are. Luckily more and more brands are starting to become exclusively cruelty-free & advertise that. Oddly enough, cruelty-free does not mean vegan so do your research! You vote with your dollar, so I choose to vote no to animal testing!
I believe no animal should ever have to be tested on for anything. As humans, we have no right to take away an animal's life & well being, especially if it's for a silly reason like testing beauty products. The reason we 'need' animal testing is to see if a specific ingredient(s) react negatively when applied or mixed with other ingredients. As extensive research shows, animal testing is not effective. Rabbits are not humans, humans are not rabbits. Makes sense. Other animals react differently to certain chemicals than humans do. Rabbits are not the only animals tested however. Dogs, cats, monkeys, and rats are some of the common animals used in labs.
You may have seen the horrible images on PeTA's website about animal testing. I honestly can't even look at them. I makes me so upset to see these animals in so much pain. These animals are bred to live at these labs their whole lives. They live in small cages & in horrible conditions. I can't imagine a life like that.
We do not need animal testing! This is the 21st century people! We have advanced technology & have more effective methods of ingredient testing for human use. There is a method called vitro testing that you can read all about here. I find it very interesting and definitely worth reading about. We can also culture cell tissues & use computer models. Again, we do not need animal testing!
I recently learned that animals used in labs around the world, are in a separate category than other animals like wild & domesticated animals. The law does not protect the lab animals. They are not protected from animal abuse or cruelty. That is completely unethical. People have pets that are the same animals that are used in lab experiments. But the cruelty that goes on is hidden from most of our culture & it's time for it to end.
I highly recommend listening to Live Planted Podcast on this topic. I love all of her podcasts but this one is one of my faves. Alyssa touches on a lot of good points surrounding the cruelty-free & ethical issues of animal testing. Definitely worth listening!
As the times are changing, more & more brands have begun to advertise as vegan & cruelty-free. Surprisingly, there are a lot of drugstore brands that are cruelty-free & affordable. There's no need to be worried about spending a lot of money. You may even save money by going cruelty-free. Sure some products may be more expensive but they are usually better quality & you won't have to buy as much stuff. Cutting down on how many products you buy will benefit everyone. Less waste, less clutter, & more money saved. Check out Cruelty-free Kitty for lists of cruelty-free brands.
Drugstore Makeup:
Governments worldwide are beginning to ban animal testing for good. The European Union, Israel, India, Norway, Switzerland, South Korea, and New Zealand are some of the leaders in this movement. Hopefully more & more countries will follow. Sadly China has put a damper on this movement. If a company wants to sell their products in China, it's required by law to test on animals. For example, Benefit Cosmetics sells their beauty products in China, which means they will not be cruelty-free unless China dismisses the law or Benefit stops selling in China.
Switching over to 100% cruelty-free & vegan products can seem challenging. I agree it is overwhelming. You have developed a liking to the products you use now and it's hard to start all over & find ones that work just as good as the non vegan version. But fear not! There are so many resources that have lists of all the cruelty-free products including makeup, hair, skin, & cleaning products. I find them very helpful especially if you're at the store and need to find out if a specific brand is cruelty-free in a pinch.
I have a more extensive list of hygiene products & makeup products that I use but here are list of my favorite brands overall. I also have an in depth skincare routine here. I talk about my new skincare regimen with Osea Malibu & how their products has changed my skin for the better. I have direct links to purchase my favorite products there.
