It’s 2023, and Beauty Brands are still Testing on Animals
Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee
It's 2023, and for some, it might be hard to hear that your favorite beauty brands are still testing their products on animals, but they are. So, with all our emphasis on clean and non-toxic everything, why are animals paying the price for our perpetual trends?
Now, you might have many questions running through your mind, and your first is probably, what brands are still testing on animals?
Well, there's a lot, so take a seat. According to PETA, a majority of the brands owned by L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Johnson & Johnson, S.C. Johnson, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Church & Dwight, Unilever and Henkel test on animals, determined as of August 2022. To put it into perspective, popular brands like Maybelline makeup, Aquaphor oral care, Arm & Hammer body care and cleaning products, Batiste hair products, CeraVe skincare and body products, Fendi fragrances, and NARS have all gone through animal testing trials. And that's just naming a handful! Other big-name brands, such as Neutrogena's body care, makeup, and skincare lines, Sinful Color's nail polish, and Vaseline's body and skin care, are on the not-cruelty-free list too. Sadly, not even half of the companies that test on animals have made it into this section. For the complete list of companies and their products that test on animals, see Cruelty-Free Kitty’s full list of Not-Cruelty-Free Brands.
Image Courtesy: Lilian von Trapp (Pinterest: @Ventvenir)
After seeing all of your go-to and favorite brands on the list, you might be curious about animal testing, and Jopie Louwe Kooijmans, a cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics expert at Shop Like You Give a Damn, can help answer them.
Why are brands still testing on animals?
According to Kooijmans, 88% of cosmetics companies are still testing on animals because Chinese legislation requires them to. Since the beauty market in China has a high monetary value, animal testing is just one piece in growing businesses and creating a profit.
What animals are being tested on? What do these trials entail?
Mice, rats, guinea pigs, fish, rabbits, and dogs often undergo toxicity experiments involving various skin and eye tests in which they are administered an elevated and lethal dose of chemicals through force-feeding or injections into their bloodstream. While we consumers gain another 24-hour, long-lasting foundation or an extreme lengthening mascara, the animals that undergo cosmetic testing face bodily multinationals, defects, and death if they even make it to the end of months-long trials.
How do I know what products are safe?
It is imperative to identify genuine and accurate cruelty-free logos when buying cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics. Leaping Bunny, PETA, and Cruelty-Free International are the only official bunny logos that certify beauty brands as cruelty-free. This means any product or brand not verified by one of these organizations but uses a “cruelty-free” logo, is lying to you. That is because the "cruelty-free" term is not regulated, meaning a fake cruelty-free logo can be slapped onto almost anything and everything.
However, even if a brand uses a fake logo, that doesn't mean that the brand isn't cruelty-free. Confusing, I know. Some small brands' products could be 100% cruelty-free; they just might not have gotten their cruelty-free certification yet. In those cases, Google, Google, Google! Better to be safe than sorry.
While each of the three organization's logos means that the brand doesn't test on animals, nor have the ingredients being used been tested on animals, each logo can also tell you whether or not the brand is sold in China. Products stamped by the Leaping Bunny means the brand does not sell in China. The Cruelty-Free International stamp means that the brand is not sold in China, but the brand's parent company must be cruelty-free and accredited. PETA, the brand can sell in China only if the products are made in China; however, it is still subject to animal testing. While PETA’s stamp cannot always be trusted, PETA believes that the chance of post-market animal testing in China is minimal, so products can still earn their stamp of approval. If you're ever wary of a PETA-stamped product, it always helps to research before buying!
Image Courtesy: Leaping Bunny, PETA, Cruelty-Free International
What can I do to help stop cosmetic animal testing?
The first step to stopping animal testing cruelty is buying authenticated cruelty-free and vegan cosmetic products. And, because finding cruelty-free brands can be difficult, attached is a link to a list of 100% cruelty-free brands updated as of this month from the Cruelty-Free Kitty; see their Officially Cruelty-Free Brands list here. All of the brands on Cruelty-Free Kitty’s list are approved based on their criteria of the finished products, ingredients, suppliers, third parties, and requirements by law.
Another way you can help is by donating to organizations like PETA or signing petitions such as this one from the Humane Society International is a simple way to help companies protect animals and change legal policies. But the easiest way to help stop animal testing is by educating others. Researching and staying up to date with 100% cruelty-free brands and products with authentic cruelty-free certificates is paramount to ending animal testing so that one day, animals won't pay the price for our beauty.
Strike Out,
Writer: Lauren Hamilton
Editor:
Graphic Designer: Kate Fernandez
Tallahassee
Sources
Anna. “Yes, Animal Testing is Still a Reality for Cosmetics in 2022.” ShopLikeYouGiveADamn. https://www.shoplikeyougiveadamn.com/blogs/yes-animal-testing-is-still-a-reality-for-cosmetics-in-2022/bl-434.
“Companies That Test On Animals (2022 Update).” Cruelty-Free Kitty, 01 Aug. 2022, https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/companies-that-test-on-animals/.
Haynes, Kassia. “Cruelty-Free Bunny Logos, Explained!” ThisIsKassia, https://www.thisiskassia.com/blog/cruelty-free-bunny-logos-explained.
“List of Officially Cruelty-Free Brands (2023 Update).” Cruelty-Free Kitty, 20 Feb. 2023, https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/list-of-cruelty-free-brands/.