Are you interested in switching to cruelty-free cosmetics? It can be overwhelming to find and purchase the products that are best, and cruelty-free products have been growing in popularity. Brands know that having cruelty free products reflects well on their business, but what exactly does that mean?
What Is Cruelty-Free?
(of cosmetics or other commercial products) manufactured or developed by methods that do not involve experimentation on animals.
Seems simple enough, right? It should be. However, once you start searching for products it can get complicated. Below, you'll find ways to help identify cruelty-free cosmetics.
Check the Ingredients
Many common animal-derived ingredients can be a red flag that you should do more research. Here are some of the things you should look for:
Cochineal Dye
Guanine
Tallow
Gelatin
Lanolin
Squalene
Ambergris
Collagen
Estrogen
Retinol
The good news? These ingredients aren't necessary. Many of them are fillers or can actually be toxic. Better for you, and animals aren't subject to mistreatment. What more could you ask for?
Look for Vegan Products
This is one of the easiest ways to tell if a product is cruelty-free. Vegan products don't contain any animal-derived ingredients and are always cruelty-free. It doesn't get more simple than that.
Read the label carefully
Earlier, we mentioned looking for some of the most common animal-derived ingredients. Labels can be tricky, so you shouldn't stop there. Google any ingredient you don't know and look at the manufacturing location.
Find out where the company makes and sells products
There are some considerations to remember when looking at any company for cosmetics. Where they make and sell their products can be a telling factor on whether or not their claims are true.
According to
Ethical Elephant "Cosmetics that are sold in China are required to be registered and therefore required to be tested on animals by law. That means, cruelty-free companies can manufacture or make their cosmetics in China, but just as long as they are not selling their product in-stores in China, then none of their products are required to be tested on animals as required by China’s laws."
Contact the Company
Still not sure? Send the company you are shopping with a message. You can ask questions about ingredients used and the manufacturing process. If they are unable to clearly communicate to you whether or not their process is cruelty-free, you'll know that it's time to look elsewhere.
Wrapping Up
It can be confusing to sort out the differences in vegan products, cruelty-free products, and all the products in between. At the end of the day, you should decide what to purchase based on the qualities that matter to you. What is most important is that you are educated on what these terms mean and that you can make an informed decision. It's possible to take the mystery out of the shopping experience with these tips. Then, you can choose the products that are better for you and the planet.
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