There is a lot of confusion for consumers in the cruelty-free makeup world about companies that in some way participate in animal testing and those that definitely don’t. I’ll give you a bit of background on the world of animal testing and explain Cruelty Free Certification. I’ll also explain to you how I came up with the products that are part of what I consider The Best Cruelty Free Makeup Brands.
Table of Contents
The Background
Cruelty-free is a label for products that do not test, harm or kill animals anywhere in the world(1). Animal testing for products is 
historically done on rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice and in some cases dogs, cats and primates.
What these animals are subjected to in the name of beauty is truly appalling and heart wrenching. I knew it was horrible but in doing this research what I found I just can’t put here. Suffice it to say that it’s probably worse than you thought too!(2)(3)
Animal Testing Alternatives
There are now alternatives to this barbaric practice that have the bonus of being more accurate for humans with the experimental results. Old school animal testing is NOT necessary with the technologies that have been developed. Without getting too graphic, currently reconstructed human epidermis replaces the rabbit Draize skin test and test tube human tissue replaces the need for the Draize eye test. Now, computer based analysis allows for isolation of select tissues which is far more precise and accurate in preventing toxic substances from being used on people. (4) Finally, the easiest of the alternatives, use ingredients that are already established as safe…..a bit of a no brainer there.
Cruelty Free Certification
This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. You will find, when you look at the products on my site, that most big name brands synonymous with make up are missing, even when they claim they “don’t test on animals”. The kicker here is that they might not test before manufacturing in Europe or N. America but they export to sell in countries (ex. China) where animal testing is mandated by law for all imported products. It could be the parent company or a subsidiary. For me that’s not OK. Period.
There are really a lot of companies that offer a wide range of products certified cruelty-free. Some companies have been vetted by one or more of the following organizations…PETA, Choose Cruelty Free, Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, Cruelty Free International and Leaping Bunny. Some products or companies have not paid to be listed and certified Cruetly Free but indeed are. In those cases, I dig around to do some double checking just to be certain.
The Products
On this site product blogs are divided by purpose, eyes, lips, cheeks…you get it right? So many great products to choose from I do my best to try to find what works the best be it high or low price point. Yup, helping you find The Best Cruelty Free Makeup Brands! Last and certainly not least, it has to be available for you to order at the best price right here…..BAM! For companies that I recommend check out the Shopping Guide.
Questions or comments?
Fire away…. Leave a comment or email me Sydney@thecrueltyfreeface.com
References
(1)Andre, Claire; Velasquez, Manuel. “Of Cures and Creatures Great and Small”. Santa Clara University. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
(2)“Animal Tests & Alternatives”. Cruelty Free International. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013
(3)Gallagher, Megan Erin (2003). Toxicity Testing Requirements, Methods and Proposed Alternatives (PDF). Environs. 26. p. 253
(4)Curren, Roger (Nov?Dec 2000). “From inhumane to in vitro: The changing face of science”. The Animals’ Agenda. 20 (6): 22. Retrieved March 30, 2013
thankfully there are people like you out there, who care where products come from and how they are produced! thanks for your effort to make people aware!
Thanks Manny!
The fact that these companies test products out on animals just makes my blood boil! If they want to see what reaction they do to the skin before putting them on the market then they should just test them on themselves I say. What are your thoughts about all makeup and products not being tested on animals and should everybody just stop buying such products?
Hi Matthew, It’s really upsetting that this still occurs isn’t it?!?!?!
Sadly, I think the majority of people have no idea this is still going on. It is horrifying to me. With certain countries still requiring testing for imported products the parent companies need to be held accountable if they want to sell in countries like China. My opinion is the best way at this point is to let our wallets to the talking. If the parent company tests but the affiliate doesn’t, too bad for the affiliate, they won’t get my business due to the dealings of the parent company. This is my opportunity to highlight the ethical ones out there!
I applaud you for taking a stand against the beauty industry and the inhumane research techniques. Keep up the good work and I look forward to hearing more so that the few times I purchase products it will be with a company that respects life.
Best Wishes!
Thank you Tandy,
I’m glad to see there are others out there that feel the same as I do regarding this practice. I’ll be adding products soon!
I can really appreciate what you are doing here. I don’t know why companies think just because an animal is what they are that they can be treated sub par. If it breaths, sees, eats and thinks then they deserve to be treated humanely as well. So I thank you for providing an alternative to a product in which this type of thing goes on.
Thank You Ronnie,
I’m looking forward to building this with more products. There are so many great alternatives!
Thank you so much for your article and raising awareness on the subject. It’s so hard to believe that at this day in age companies are using animal testing! Personally, I do t wear make-up but if I did, I surely would not buy something that didn’t promote cruelty free. Those poor animals are defenseless to what humans can do. It breaks my heart. Hopefully more companies will get on the bandwagon. Are there other products besides make up that still do animal testing (so I can avoid them)?
Thanks for your question Lisa,
Yes, unfortunately there is still animal testing across the consumable goods spectrum. Probably a good subject to offshoot from this site. The other industries still involved are hair products, oral care, deodorant, fragrance, soap and bath, feminine hygiene, laundry, cleaning, misc household goods, and pet care. It’s a pretty massive list of companies! PETA is a good resource for those labelled “tests on animals”. As I said in one of my posts some cruelty free companies do not look for endorsement, whether its a cost factor or another reason, but they are still cruelty free. I’d be happy to help you with information on specific products.
Hi Lisa, Your question inspired me to fire off a quick blog post. It’s a big list! You can have a look if you like 🙂