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Beauty products should look great, feel great on your hair and skin, and be cruelty-free. Unfortunately, the cosmetic industry has a long history of animal testing. Laboratories conducted experiments on approximately 192.1 million animals in 2015.
According to Cruelty-Free Kitty, 88% of the 50 largest cosmetic corporations fund animal testing globally. It’s tragic considering there are already 7,000 ingredients to choose from which have already been tested and deemed safe for consumers.
However, the demand for cruelty-free hair and makeup products is growing. A 2018 survey found that 36% of women preferred to buy cruelty-free and another 43% claimed they would stop buying cosmetics tested on animals.
There are many benefits of switching to cruelty-free products and if you’re wondering where to start, here are five beauty brands you should try that are committed to ending animal testing.
KVD Vegan Beauty—by renowned tattoo artist Kat Von D—has been cruelty-free since its 2008 launch. By 2016, KVD had reformulated all of its products to vegan ingredients.
According to its website, a team at KVD is in charge of reviewing each ingredient in every product to ensure it’s 100% cruelty-free and vegan.
KVD carries many high-quality makeup products, such as lipsticks and glosses, eye palettes and mascara, face makeup, fragrances and brushes. Despite being vegan, KVD boasts richly pigmented products made to last for extended wear.
Thankfully, several drugstore brands are cruelty-free and cost-effective, such as Milani Cosmetics. Some of their products are vegan, as well.
Milani ensures its products are not tested on animals, nor do their suppliers test on animals—even if a country legally requires it. For example, Milani does not sell their products in China, where international beauty brands must test on animals before being imported and sold.
Milani is certified by Leaping Bunny and Peta and sells a wide range of makeup and skincare products at drugstores, grocery stores, beauty stores and online.
Not Your Mother’s hair care products are cruelty-free, come from a cruelty-free supplier and do not conduct third-party animal testing.
Additionally, Not Your Mother’s products are vegan—meaning they don’t contain animal byproducts. The exception, however, is its Royal Honey & Kalahari Melon collection which includes honey, and the All Eyes On Me line which has keratin.
This drugstore brand aims to provide affordable, clean, salon-grade products for at-home use, from shampoos and conditioners to dry shampoos and special hair treatments.
E.L.F. Cosmetics has become one of the most popular drugstore brands known for its affordability and commitment to delivering quality, cruelty-free products.
Consumers can rest assured they’re using makeup that has never been tested on animals. Additionally, E.L.F. makeup brushes and false eyelashes also use synthetic hairs rather than animal hair.
They’re also 100% vegan, having swapped beeswax ingredients for synthetic beeswax and lanolin with Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladinpale-2.
Imagine lathering your hair in a clean, animal-friendly shampoo and conditioner that smells like vanilla cake right out of the oven.
Cake Beauty products aren’t just cruelty-free and 100% vegan; they also smell delicious. This brand promises that each formula comes from a supplier that does not test on animals or uses animal-derived ingredients. They also refuse to sell their products where animal testing is required.
Typically found at drugstores in the United States and Canada or online, Cake Beauty offers a collection of hair, body and skin care products.
As more consumers demand companies find cruelty-free solutions for their products, the cosmetic industry is more likely to show greater kindness to animals in the future. Let cosmetic brands know it’s time to end animal testing worldwide by vowing to only purchase cruelty-free beauty products.
