The cruelty free and animal rights movement in general is really starting to gain some ground. It’s being spoken about more, more companies are starting to highlight that as part of their mission. It’s definitely getting more popular. Hell, I’ve spoken about it twice already on here, first about why I’m going cruelty free and then some challenges I’ve had going CF. However, I haven’t really talked about how to make the switch, or given any tips for going cruelty free.
And that’s a challenge! It’s a transition that a lot of folks can struggle with, and with everyone telling you how, it can get a little confusing. So, here are my top tips for going cruelty free. It’s a big jump, but there are some ways to make it easier on yourself!
Decide What Cruelty-Free Means for You
There are a lot of ways that you can classify the degree of how cruelty-free you want your products to be. That’s a personal decision, and one that you should feel free to make on your own, without judgment. Any degree of cruelty free is better than none, and every effort helps.
For a quick breakdown: companies are often owned by other companies. The primary company can sometimes be cruelty free, while the parent company conducts animal testing. Since companies can receive ingredients and components from outside sources, there is also a chance that the suppliers conduct animal testing on what they provide. They may also ask other companies to test on their behalf, therefore being able to say that they themselves do not test on animals.
Then there is the concern of selling in China. While there seem to be ways to sell in China online to avoid animal testing, to sell in country requires animal testing on the product before sale. So even if a company is not conducting animal testing in your country, they may still be testing to sell in China. Companies often say they are cruelty free because they are not the ones conducting testing in the Chinese market. That’s a cop out, so be aware. Generally, many cruelty free peeps do not consider companies that sell in mainland China to be CF. Personally, I am in that camp.
So, a few things to think about: do you want to buy from a company that has a cruelty free parent company? Are you going to require that suppliers are cruelty free as well? What’s your stance on the China situation?
Check Up on the Status of Your Faves Semi-Regularly
This is something that I grappled with early on. Status changes with the breeze. We saw it with Stila, who recently-ish pulled out of the Chinese market regained their cruelty free status. Nars decided to go back to selling in China and lost their status. PETA (not always the best source), Leaping Bunny (really well regarded), and several bloggers like Cruelty Free Kitty tend to keep track of the status of brands.
Remember, there are no current federal regulations to define what cruelty free status actually means. So organizations like PETA and LB have taken it upon themselves to do so (with Leaping Bunny usually viewed as the more reliable. I mean PETA called Burt’s Bees vegan for a while so… you tell me if that’s reliable.) So when shopping, make sure you do a check up every few months just to make sure your favorite brands are still compliant.
And absolutely feel free to contact the companies directly! Especially if you’re unsure or can’t seem to find an answer (not always a great sign). When you do, make sure that you ask very specific questions in line with your personal expectations. There was an incident on Twitter last month when someone asked MAC Cosmetics if they were cruelty free, to which MAC answered “yes”. By using the technicality of “well we don’t conduct the testing ourselves” they were able to make that claim. But bad news, they sell in China and aren’t really cruelty free (Don’t worry, everyone reminded them.) Ethical Evolution has a great post on decoding the animal testing policies you can check out right here
Beware of Greenwashing
If you’ve hung around the organic or green blogging scene very much, you may have seen this term thrown around. if not, here’s a quick run down. Greenwashing basically means that a company is trying to use certain “environmentally friendly” aspects to make their brand appeal to a larger audience, usually with a certain amount of dishonesty. Garnier is a good example of this: their products have been advertised as “vegan”, so a lot of people make the mistake of assuming the company is cruelty free, and boy oh boy is that not the case at all. Organix (OGX) is a similar offender, they sound organic, so why wouldn’t they be cruelty free? Unfortunately, they sell in China. Other similar examples: Origins and Boscia.
As eco-friendly movements grow in popularity, companies will begin to exploit that in order to make a buck. It’s the way of business. So, similar to my second tip, always check. Read the labels, always, and if there’s any question at all, absolutely hop on the google machine or contact the company directly. When you’re an eco, CF, vegan, or generally green blogger, you don’t have to just worry about the your main focus, you have to worry about companies lying about it, more so than normal.
There you go, guys! Three super easy, but super important tips for starting your switch to a cruelty free lifestyle. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten for going cruelty free?