What is cruelty free ?
In English, it means "without cruelty". The idea is that products stamped cruelty free are not tested on animals . If the name cruelty free is used a lot for cosmetics, medicines, hygiene products and clothing are also concerned. But makeup products are the most targeted. Moreover, the European Union prohibits the sale of new cosmetic products tested on animals marketed after March 2013. However, the law contains some subtleties: if the components intended solely for the cosmetic industry can not be tested on the animals, the preservatives used in the agri-food industry can be used. And we also find them in our make-up products. To better identify, the non-profit association PETA lists on its website all 100% cruelty free brands .
Vegan, cruelty free ... same fight?
A vegan product is a cosmetic that does not use in its composition products derived from animals (honey, milk, gelatin, keratin, etc.). Vegan products are by definition necessarily cruelty free: they advocate the defense and welfare of animals. Some brands of cruelty free cosmetics can offer products made from keratin, honey or eggs.
Brands 100% cruelty free
If for some animal protection is a good marketing argument, there are brands that have made it a true motto. The Body Shop or Lush are very committed brands. Lately, The Body Shop has even launched a petition in partnership with Cruelty Free International to fight against animal testing. The Lush brand has always claimed its commitment to good quality products, handmade, vegan and cruelty free.
To sign the petition, it's here: https://bit.ly/2s4pwtR
World-renowned brands
The brands of luxury cosmetics are rather discreet on the issue of testing animals. Yet a luxury brand has made a small place on the list of makeup products cruelty free : Marc Jacobs Beauty. For the general public, L'Oréal or Estée Lauder offer brands cruelty free . but this is only a small part of their activity. Subsidiaries include Nyx Cosmetics, Smashbox, Too Faced, and Urban Decay. For small budgets, it is towards the brand Bys Cosmetics that one turns to find products cruelty free at very attractive prices.
Small news from the French market
Marketed recently in France, the Anastasia Bervely Hills brand, specializing in eyebrow products, is on the Peta list. As for the novelty, we chose the brand of the tattoo machine Kat Von D., which makes a cardboard with its makeup and Youtube channel.
Alternatives, for a cruelty free world
Many researchers have looked at the question: what alternatives to animal testing? Among the solutions, there is one that seems straight out of a science fiction film: a software that simulates human biology and therefore tests the impact on cells of the various ingredients of a formula . It is thanks to this kind of progress that researchers and activists pro cruelty free hope to put an end to animal suffering.
