ARE YOUR COSMETICS REALLY CRUELTY FREE?

What is Cruelty-Free?   

The term “cruelty-free product” is generally understood within the animal rights movement as a product that has not been tested on animals by the manufacturer. It’s important to buy cruelty-free products to support companies that are animal-friendly and to boycott companies that still test on animals. Several mainstream cosmetics companies, such as Revlon and Avon, have been cruelty-free for many years.  Federal law requires drugs to be tested on animals, but no law requires cosmetics or household products to be tested on animals unless they contain new chemicals. With so many substances that are already known to be safe, cruelty-free companies can continue to offer new, quality products year after year without testing on animals.

Gray Areas

One of the gray areas is when the individual ingredients might have been tested on animals by a supplier to the manufacturer. Some animal rights activists seek to support companies that do not purchase ingredients from suppliers who test on animals.

Another tricky issue is when a cruelty-free company is owned or acquired by a parent company that tests on animals. For example, The Body Shop is cruelty-free, but was acquired by L’Oreal in 2006. Although The Body Shop still does not test its products on animals, L’Oreal continues to conduct animal testing.

Cruelty-Free vs. Vegan

Just because a product is labeled “cruelty-free” does not necessarily mean that it is vegan. A product that has not been tested on animals may still contain animal ingredients

Companies like Origins and Urban Decay are cruelty-free, and carry both vegan and non-vegan products. The Urban Decay website has a page with vegan products, and if you visit an Origins store, their vegan products are labeled.

Vegan cosmetic manufacturers not only do not test their products on animals, they also do not use any products that come from animals such as milk, eggs, honey, and lanolin.

Companies v. Products

t is important to distinguish between whether a specific company tests on animals and whether a specific ingredient or product has ever been tested on animals. To expect that an ingredient has never been tested on animals is unrealistic, because centuries of animal experimentation mean that almost every substance, even those that are natural and generally considered safe, has been tested on animals at some point in history. Instead of focusing on whether an ingredient or product has ever been tested on animals, ask whether the company or the supplier conducts animal testing.

What Type Of Tests Are Performed

Tests performed on animals are undeniably cruel. In tests conducted to determine the safety of eye products, for example, rabbits are immobilized in shelf-like contraptions called stocks. Their eyelids are held open with clips while scientists drop various substances into their eyes. This type of test can last as many as 18 days.

Toxicity tests also are performed. The LD50 (lethal dose 50) test determines the amount of substance that will kill a certain percentage of animals. According to Mercy for Animals, a substance is forced via a tube into the animal's stomach, sometimes through holes cut in their throats. Experimenters then observe the animals' reaction, which includes convulsions, bleeding from eyes, nose or mouth, emaciation and skin eruptions, to name just a few. The tests continue until at least 50 percent of the animals are dead. While the LD test is not as widely performed as in years past, it still occurs.

Animal Testing in the EU

A cosmetic testing has been banned in the European Union. According to a press release by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, the ban took effect and it is now illegal to test cosmetic ingredients on animals anywhere in the EU, irrespective of whether there is a non-animal alternative method available (testing on the products themselves is already banned). It is also illegal to sell or import into the EU cosmetics ingredients or products where they have been animal-tested after 11 March 2009, with the exception of certain types of test which have an extended deadline until 11 March 2013.  While cosmetics testing on animals are now banned in the EU, other household products may be tested. Here in the US, we have no similar law, and any kind of cosmetic or household product may be tested on animals.

Why Animal Testing Is Unnecessary

Almost as outrageous as the cruelty of these tests is the fact that they are outdated and not always as reliable as tests generated with modern biology and biotechnology. It doesn't take much research to see that animal testing has inherent flaws. For one, each species reacts differently to substances, so proving that a particular substance irritates a rabbit's eye does not necessarily mean it will irritate a human eye. Even if a product has blinded an animal, it could still be marketed to you (according to PETA).

11 Myths About Animal Testing

You may be thinking that the globs of gel you put in your hair doesn't come at a cost, but products that test on animals might be crueler than you realize. 

1.     Animal testing exclusively involves mice and rats.  Companies that conduct animal testing use many different species. After mice and rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and dogs are the most commonly used animals.

2.   When you test shampoo on animals, you simply rub it on their fur.

   Animal testing usually involves applying chemicals or products to animals’ shaved skin or eyes. In one of the most commonly used tests, researchers put chemicals into their eyes and record the state of the injured eye for 21 days.

3.   Animals can't feel pain.

   A recent experiment found that when mice are exposed to painful stimuli, they display facial expressions very similar to those humans show when in pain. Research has also found that many animals even suffer from depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders in laboratories.

4.    All animals in laboratories have some legal protection. 

   The only federal law that applies to animals used for testing is the Animal Welfare Act, which only regulates cage size, cleanliness, and food and water, but does not limit the procedures that can be done. This law excludes rats, mice, birds, cold-blooded animals, and animals commonly killed for food—so rats and mice, the animals most commonly used in toxicity tests, are not even given minimal protections.

5.   Animals are well cared for and are given anesthesia or painkillers during tests.  Generally, animals are not given anesthesia even during extremely painful tests.

6.    Some animals get to live happy lives once they are not needed for any more testing.  Every year, millions of animals used for testing are killed during the experiment or soon after.

7.   Cosmetic testing on animals is required by law. 

   The United States does not require tests on cosmetics. In fact, hundreds of companies do not test their products on animals, just look for the rabbit logo on the label that tells you that your beauty product is animal-friendly.

8.  Testing cosmetics on animals tells us whether the products are safe. 

   It’s difficult to interpret what animal test results mean for humans, because each species reacts differently to various substances.

9.  There aren't any alternatives to animal tests. 

   There are many cheaper and faster alternative methods that produce more accurate information. Examples include artificial human skin and robotic technology that can screen thousands of chemicals at once using cells grown in the lab.

10.    Companies always use the most current testing methods. 

    Many companies continue to test chemicals and products using animal-based tests developed in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

11.    There is nothing I can do to stop animal suffering in laboratories.

    There are many things you can do to help animals in laboratories.

1. Look for an animal-testing free logo on products you buy.
2. Use an alternative to dissection in science class.
3. Start a campaign making people aware about these animal testing myths.

 

Companies That DO Test on Animals (reported by PETA)

This section includes a short list of both companies that manufacture animal-tested products and brands that are owned by companies that have not yet adopted a permanent "no animal testing" policy. Please encourage them to announce a permanent ban. Listed in parentheses are examples of products manufactured by either the company listed or, if applicable, its parent company. For a complete listing of products manufactured by a company on this list, please visit the company's website or contact the company directly for more information. Companies on this list may manufacture individual lines of products without animal testing. They have not, however, eliminated animal testing from their entire line of cosmetics and household products.

• Bristol-Myers Squibb (Alberto VO5, Ban, Clairol, Keri, Final Net)
• Chesebrough Ponds (Faberge, Cutex, Vaseline)
• Carter-Wallace (Aim, Arm & Hammer, Arrid, Close-up, Mentadent, Nair, Pearl Drops)
• Clorox (Green Works)
• Colgate-Palmolive Co.
• Dell Labs (Flame Glow, Sally Hanson)
• Dial (Dial Soap, Dry Idea, Right Guard, Soft & Dri)
• Estée Lauder (American Beauty, Aramis, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Coach, Darphin, Ermenegildo Zegna, Flirt, Goodskin Labs, Grassroots Labs, Jo Malone, Kiton, Lab series for Men, La Mer, MAC, Michael Kors, Missoni, Ojon, Origins, Prescriptives, Sean John, Smashbox, Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger)  
• GlaxoSmithKline (Aquafresh, Sensodyne)
• Johnson & Johnson (Acuvue, Aveeno, Carefree, Clean & Clear, Johnson's, K.Y., Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Purell, Reach, Rembrandt, ROC Skin Care, Rogaine Hair Care, Shower to Shower, Skin ID)
• L'Oreal USA (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Kerastase, Kiehl's, Lancôme, LaRoche Posay, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Mizani, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Shu Uemura, SoftSheen, Vichy, Viktor & Rolf)
• Mary Kay Cosmetics
• Melaleuca
• New Dana Perfumes
• Pfizer (Bain de Soleil, Chapstick)
• Pierre Fabre (Physicians Formula Cosmetics)
• Playtex (Banana Boat, Jhirmack Hair Care)
• Procter & Gamble (Always, Aussie Hair Care, Braun, Christina Aguilera Perfumes, Cover Girl Cosmetics, Crest, DOLCE & GABBANA, Dunhill Fragrances, Escada Fragrances, Fekkai Hair Care, Gillette Co., Gucci Fragrances, Halo, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Hugo Boss, Ivory, Joy Perfumes, Lacoste Fragrances, Max Factor, Natural Instincts, Nice ‘n Easy, Olay, Old Spice, Pantene, Physique, Scope, Sebastian Professional Hair Care, Secret, SK-II Skin Care, Vicks, Vidal Sasson Hair Care, Zest)
• Reckitt Benckiser (Calgon, Clearasil, Old English)
• SC Johnson (Glade, Nature's Source)
• Shering-Plough (Coppertone)
• Shiseido Cosmetics
• Unilever (Calvin Klein, Elizabeth Arden, Helene Curtis, Axe, Dove, Ponds, Suave, Sunsilk, Tresemme Hair Care, Vaseline)

It’s Not Just Your Makeup That Needs To Be Cruelty-Free

The makeup manufacturer states that they are cruelty-free, yet they sell makeup brushes that are made from squirrel, goat, pony, badger, rabbit and sable.  Animal hair brushes are a by-product of the food and fur industry.  Therefore, the animal is killed to make those makeup brushes.  Cosmetic manufacturers go to great lengths to create humane stories of how the animals are pampered while they wait for their monthly haircut.  In reality, they are either tortured in traps or made to live in cramp gages until such time they are slaughtered. The only way a makeup brush can be cruelty-free is if they are made of synthetic fibers. If the sales person tells you that their squirrel makeup brush is cruelty-free, they are either lying or most likely misinformed.

Same goes for your Boar Bristle hair brush. The reason these brushes are so expensive is, they come from wild Boars that are trapped with bone crushing jaw clamps.  In many cases, the animal is left in the trap for days before being retrieved.  Helpless and unable to free themselves from the trap, the animal will bleed or starve to death. 

Alternatives

In almost every case, there is an adequate if not superior alternative ingredient that that of animal based ingredients.  The only problem with these alternatives is, they cost a few pennies more than the animal ingredient.  Although there is no such thing as true plant lanolin, there are companies that are marketing plant based alternatives to lanolin.  In fact, they are calling it Vegetable Lanolin.  Same goes for Squalene.  Originally only derived from Whale blubber, now there is Squalene made from Olives.  When it comes to animal hair brushes, Taklon Nylon fiber is a superior alternative for makeup brushes.  Taklon is softer, more durable and there is less chance to harbor bacteria. Using Mineral Makeup is one way to avoid animal ingredients and animal testing altogether. Mineral Makeup is inert; therefore there is no need to test on animals.  You may not get the vibrant colors that you’ll find in conventional makeup lines, but you’ll be surprised at what’s available.        

Here is how you can stop this senseless practice. 

              ●Vow never to purchase another item from those manufacturers that continue
      to test on animals. 

●Look at the ingredient list and familiarize yourself with ingredients derived from dead animals (list is available at www.peta.org). Look for the cruelty-free logo.

●Tell those companies you refuse to buy another lipstick from them until they change their policies and ingredients.