Making The Choice To Be
Against Animal Testing
I am against animal testing of my personal care products. I can't imagine buying a product to make me feel beautiful knowing that an animal had been harmed to make it. As I have become more informed, I check the product label to see if it was tested on animals.
But to be honest, I was having a hard time determining if the company was truly against animal testing. Problems with labels again. (See
nontoxic skin care and
organic skin care).
I'd see "cruelty free" or "not tested on animals" and think that's good, that's what I want, only to learn ingredients in the product may have been tested on animals while the end product was not. Or maybe "we do not test on animals". There is the possibility this could mean the company hired someone else to do the testing. Not to be too cynical but we just don't know.
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded or killed every year in outdated ineffective product tests for personal care and household products.
These are not required by law and often produce inaccurate and misleading results. And the worst part is, even if the product has harmed an animal, it can still be marketed to us.
Alternatives are available if companies choose to use them and they often provide faster more accurate information.
Hundreds of ethical companies are proud to claim that they are against animal testing, that they are "100% cruelty free". These are the companies I want to do business with. But the problem still remains how to make sure that I am buying from companies that are against animal testing completely when the labels are confusing.
Here's where the Corporate Standard of Compassion (CSC) logo can help. You may have seen it already. It's that little leaping bunny on the label. This
guarantees that all ingredients have not been tested on animals.
The logo was developed by the
Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC). Companies that display this logo on their products or on their website voluntarily comply. They guarantee that from a certain date forward no testing will done on any ingredients in a product or on the end product itself. Keep in mind that companies may be against animal testing but still use animal ingredients in their products.
Peta also has a logo, the pink bunny. It too ensures that the product is cruelty free.
These are companies that you will find on Peta's list of cruelty free companies.
Some Companies Don't Use A Logo
Unfortunately not all companies use the logo. I have found some companies who comply and either don't display the logo prominently or choose not to display it all. Companies who go through the trouble of compliance with one of the above organizations may claim
"100% cruelty free" and they may choose to use that on the label instead of the logo. In this instance your best bet is to check with one of the above organizations and check out their list of complying companies.
I'm glad so many companies are proud to claim that they are against animal testing. I make the effort to locate these businesses and buy their products. Sure, it takes more time but to me it's worth it.
You can read more about some of these companies by checking out
vegan beauty products where you can find info on companies that not only are cruelty free but also do not use animal ingredients.
Are you shopping for skin care products that are not only cruelty free but are also made with safe ingredients?
To make it easier to shop I have compiled a list of companies that have made the commitment to do both.
You can receive a copy of this list
"free" when you subscribe to my newsletter
Better Choices
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