Safety in Beauty is a website and organization focused on empowering consumers to make safer choices in personal care and cosmetic and aesthetic treatments, is inundated with questions for the public every week, one of the most frequently asked questions we receive ‘How do I know if a beauty product hasn’t been tested on animals?’
In my research a brand that is authentically and truly cruelty-free doesn’t test their products on animals at any point of their formulation or production, but it goes beyond that, for a product to be truly cruelty free, none of the suppliers that a brand uses in manufacturing a product should also not test on animals on their behalf, or any third parties, involved in the process of formulation, production and supply chain.
I recommend that you first check the packaging of a product for the official logo of Leaping Bunny,a worldwide organization that certifies brands as being cruelty-free, The Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny is the globally-recognisable gold standard for cosmetics, personal care and household products It is the only international logo that requires a supplier monitoring system to be implemented by the company, supply chain checking for animal testing right down to ingredient.
With social media being so instantly accessible, I also recommend checking with brands directly for their full animal-testing policy, you can find these usually on a website, and if you can’t then reach out to a brand directly, over social media.
Look out for fine print such as “an exception can be made if the local authorities require it for safety purposes” or “unless required by law” that may mean that these products are sold in markets which do require animal testing for cosmetics.
If you want to shop ethically and sustainably, it’s a good idea to do your research ahead of making a purchase. Connect with brands that share your values, major players including Garnier and Covergirl and scores of others are now jumping on board the cruelty free train.
International retailers are creating new initiatives such as Sephora Clean and Thoughtful Choices at Shoppers Drug Mart outlining products’ cruelty-free claims.
European “bio” brands such as Dr. Hauschka, have never carried out animal testing by or on behalf of the company since it’s founding in 1967, but not many people are aware of this.
If you would like Safety in Beauty to create a list of checked and approved cruelty free brands please drop us a comment below, we work to keep you safe and keep you informed, so let us know what matters to you.
