I’ve touched a bit on this topic on my social media platforms, but I thought having a blog post about it would be perfect since it’s something I get asked about quite a lot.
I’ll start by explaining what cruelty free means by definition:
Cruelty Free means not being tested on animals at any stage of the production process, for any reason.
Some brands don’t go the extra mile to ask that their manufacturers don’t partake in animal testing for the ingredients or the final product, as some brands want their products to be sold in China. China has a mandatory animal testing process for products manufactured outside their country, but they themselves don’t test their own products.
I’ve always known about animal testing, and the fact that everything we use has at some point been tested on animals. Being an animal lover, it wasn’t until I stumbled across a post with very graphic images, showing the suffering that these animals actually endure for our beauty products, that I made the conscious decision to stop supporting brands that test on animals.
It was initially a very easy transition to make because I love learning new things about what I do, and therefore I found that doing the research wasn’t a painful task. You’d be surprised at how many of the brands you love that actually use this process to “ensure the safety of their customers” – because of course a rabbit and I have the same genetics?! *eye roll*.
I slowly used up or gave away a lot of the products that I had in my kit that wasn’t cruelty free, and for the products I absolutely loved, I did research to find their cruelty free alternatives. I have slowly moved this into the rest of my beauty and skincare regime, using cruelty free skincare products within my kit, as well as within my home. My ultimate goal is to use cruelty free cleaning products too. You can get these from Pick ‘n Pay and Woolies as their brand is BWC approved), and eventually have a vegan makeup kit.
Yes, every single ingredient known to man has been tested on animals. The good news is that all this information goes onto a safety database which allows it to not have to go through the testing process again. But brands don’t always care about this, they care about money, which is why there are brands that falsely claim that their products are cruelty free.
If you’re thinking about making the transition, all you need to do is do your homework. A local organization Beauty Without Cruelty lists all local brands that are certified by them. In order to be certified by them, all products and ingredients within the brand have to have not gone through any testing within the last 5 years.
I also follow a blog called Logical Harmony, owned by Tashina Combs. Her blog has been my go-to blog since I’ve been on this journey for the simple reason that she personally contacts the brands herself and the brands she reaches out to, have to complete documents in order to be listed on her blog.
Logical Harmony has lists for Cruelty Free brands, Pending brands, Grey Area brands that have given unclear responses, as well as Brands to Avoid. It isn’t a local blog but it really is helpful since a lot of the products I use in my kit, and what’s on my wishlist are international products anyway. You can also click this link to learn more about Cruelty Free products https://whiterabbitrepublik.com/cruelty-free-facts/
It does kinda suck now and then when you see all these amazing products being released that you can’t use, and events being hosted that you’ll never be invited to lol but it’s a decision I’ve made for myself, and for those who don’t have a voice.
Be the change you want to see in the world
With Love
Creatively Contoured
xoxo
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