Be the Face of Cruelty-free Makeup
Makeup lovers don't have to sacrifice a single lipstick for great brands. It is super easy to find products that are as good to you as they are to the animals.
An easy way to discover cruelty-free beauty is the site crueltyfreekitty.com. This is a great site that includes a list of brands that are cruelty-free and vegan, as well as a detailed explanation of the standards used to determine which brands fit those labels.
It is important to be aware of who is certifying certain brands. For instance, there are brands that are certified by Leaping Bunny, and some that are certified by PETA. According to its site, PETA does not require as many qualifications as Leaping Bunny does, which is why PETA’s list is longer than Leaping Bunny’s.
Don't be fooled by some brands’ cruelty-free claims. Brands say their products are not tested on animals — but sometimes their ingredients are. Some also say their finished products are cruelty-free, but their unfinished products have been tested on animals. Examples of this practice are big industry companies such as L’Oreal.
There are over 5,000 cosmetic ingredients that are labeled safe. But so many companies still torture and even kill animals to test unsafe ingredients that may be sitting in our foundations this very moment.
Something else to keep in mind when shopping for cruelty-free makeup is not all brands are certified. Cruelty-free certification is on a volunteer basis, so some companies, while choosing not to test on animals, may not say that upfront.
There are cruelty-free brands to fit any size budget! Here are some high-end beauty brands that are cruelty-free:
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Cover FX (also 100 percent vegan)
Charlotte Tilbury
Deborah Lippmann
First Aid Beauty
Girlactik
Hourglass
Josie Maran
Kat Von D
Kylie Cosmetics
Lush
TheBalm
Too Faced
Here are some affordable beauty brands that are cruelty-free:
BH Cosmetics
Coloured Raine
Colourpop
EcoTools (100 percent vegan)
ELF
Essence
Hard Candy
Jordana
Milani
Physician's Formula
Real Techniques (100 percent vegan)
Wet’n’Wild
Another thing to remember is although some companies are certified cruelty-free, they are owned by bigger parent companies that do participate in animal testing. Also be aware that some companies are required by law to test on animals. Usually this occurs when their products or ingredients are sold in mainland China. Unfortunately, testing on animals is a legal obligation in China.
Here are some examples of those brands:
Bare Minerals (owned by Shiseido)
Buxom (owned by Shiseido)
Kate Somerville (owned by Unilever)
Murad (owned by Unilever)
NARS (owned by Shiseido)
Tarte (owned by Kose)
Lancôme, Maybelline, NYX, YSL, Essie, Garnier, Carol’s Daughter, Urban Decay, The Body Shop, and Kiehl’s, are all owned by L’Oreal; however, only Carol’s Daughter, The Body Shop, NYX, and Urban Decay are cruelty-free.
The list is endless when it comes to all the great products that are cruelty-free and/or vegan, and the quality of these products are outstanding!
Anastasia Beverly Hills, for example, has amazing quality eyeshadows and eyeshadow palettes, and a fabulous range of liquid lipsticks. Too Faced also has great eyeshadow palettes and lip products. Lush has very unique, natural cosmetics and body products that truly are an experience to use. Milani has a terrific lipsticks from their Color Statement Line; the quality is incredible and they are priced at only around $6.00! Colourpop has comparable quality lip products to high end brands with prices around $4–$6.00. ELF is another brand that has great, affordable products! Their brushes are cruelty-free and range from $1–$6! And you can't beat Wet’n’Wild’s color payoff of their blushes or bronzers.
Give some of these brands a try and see for yourself how great they are — not only for us, but for the animals too!
