I recently finished a book called 'We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves' by Karen Joy Fowler. I loved it. It's so different to anything else I have ever read with a great plot twist. But the main reason I'm mentioning this book is the strong theme of animal rights/animal testing.
I'm ashamed to admit that, despite being an animal lover, I've always turned a little bit of a blind eye towards cosmetic companies that test either their ingredients or final products on animals. I'd also like to mention that I can sort of understand why historically lots of ingredients were tested on animals, but I really don't think it's necessary anymore. But then are cosmetics ever necessary?
Since reading this I've been doing my research and I'm still in complete shock as to how many cosmetics companies still test on animals! I expected a few but nowhere near this many.
Also in case you're not aware, mainland China require imported beauty products to be animal tested, therefore any company that sells in China will have had their products tested on animals. This is a huge grey area as to where you want to draw the line; some companies say they do not test on animals, and yet their ingredients suppliers do, others do not specify if they pay independent companies to test their products on animals for them.
So I thought I would try and share the information I've learnt so far.
Companies that I deem cruelty free:
- Anastasia Beverly Hills
- Bare Minerals (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- Barry M
- Boots (and their subsidiary businesses ie. No7)
- By Terry
- Charlotte Tilbury
- Ciate
- e.l.f
- GOSH cosmetics
- Hourglass
- Illamasqua
- INGLOT
- Laura Mercier (Withdrawn from the Chinese market as of 2016- parent company also cruelty free)
- LUSH -of course
- Kevin Murphy
- NARS (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- NYX (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- Ole Henriksen (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- Physician's Formula
- Real Techniques
- Smashbox
- Soap & Glory
- Tarte (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- The Body Shop (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- Too Faced
- Urban Decay (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- Wet'n'Wild (despite parent company not being cruelty free)
- Zoeva
HOWEVER...
Benefit: Despite their well written answer on the FAQ page of their website, sell in China
Chanel: They state they do not use animals for product testing. However they admit that their ingredient suppliers may do. Chanel also do not seem to deny that they employ these services from other companies. They also sell in China.
Estee Lauder (and therefore Bobbi Brown, Bumble and bumble, Clinique, M.A.C., Aveda and Origins): Say they do not test on animals, and that they also don't employ a third party to do so, their products are available in China
Dior: Available in China
Covergirl (Maxfactor)
YSL
L’Oréal owns Kiehl’s, Maybelline, Lancôme which are all sold in China
Shisedo
Bath & body works
Avon
Tresemmé
Revlon- however I have reason to believe they have pulled out of China for financial reasons, and so their cruelty-free status is currently unknown
OPI
&
Procter & Gamble owned companies
Unilever owned companies
Coty, Inc. owned companies
Unfortunaetly, Bioderma is yet to be determined.
The following is the current legislation in force in the EU, however as most brands are sold world wide this means that a lot of brands test products on animals that are sold outside of the EU and therefore buying their products would be, in my opinion, supporting animal testing.
- Testing ban - prohibition to test finished cosmetic products and cosmetic ingredients on animals;
- Marketing ban – prohibition to market finished cosmetic products and ingredients in the EU which were tested on animals.
Most of my research is either contacting the brands myself, PETA or great blogs that I trust called Logical Harmony and mybeautybunny. I encourage you to do your own research as there are so many brands I haven't included and any one of them can claim to be 'cruelty free'. Opinions subject to change/update.
If you have any questions/queries or anything to add please let me know! :)
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