The Move to Cruelty Free

The Back Story

I'm not entirely sure what inspired the initial thought, but this year I've decided to make a transition into only using cruelty free products and clothes. I've been vegetarian for 8/9 years now and so I find it hard to make sense of that while I've been extremely careful about what I'm eating, I've not been so careful about what I've been using and wearing.

When the idea of going completely cruelty free crept into my head, I was sat with my rabbit Benjamin and I couldn't think of a single reason to not make the change that was more important than the life of an animal. The majority of horrible cosmetic testing photos you see are of rabbits and I couldn't imagine my own bunny going through something like that.

The Research

With this formed thought in my mind came hours and hours of researching. 

Peta is a good place to start researching, particularly for more well known and US based companies - check out this page to search products that are cruelty free, lists of companies that do/don't test and FAQs. However, I have heard some people say that the lists aren't as up to date as they good be. 

The Leaping Bunny also has information here about which the cruelty free stance of companies.

Some companies, despite not having logos on their physical products, may have in depth information on their websites about their views and involvement in animal testing (some are refreshingly honest, others are quite vague). 

Also, don't be afraid to contact a company if they don't have enough information to put your mind at rest!

The Transition

I won't be throwing away any products I already have in my collection by companies which do test on animals. It seems like a huge waste of money and pointless since they've already been bought from the company. However, I won't be re-purchasing them if the products aren't cruelty free. Same goes for any clothes, handbags and so on I have which are leather, suede etc.

To start with, I am using products by companies who are cruelty free but whose parent company may not be. For example, I am using The Body Shop products as they are cruelty free although some people won't as The Body Shop is owned by L'Oreal (who do test). Hopefully in the future I'll be able to products from entirely cruelty free companies and parent companies but currently it's not so easy. 

I'm also not vegan so I won't be committing to using vegan only products, but I see it as a bonus if they are. 

The Disclaimer

I am by no means an expert in this field, I'm still relatively new to cruelty free and I'm learning as I go. This post wasn't written in order to push anyone to make the change to go cruelty free nor was it written to force my views on anyone. I wanted to write this in order to share my experiences in making changes to my cosmetic and style purchases. 

Furthermore, if you see any products in upcoming blog posts which are tested on animals, please note the above - I'm not throwing away anything currently in my collection but it won't be repurchased in the future. 

Let me know in the comments your favourite cruelty free companies and products

Hollie Mae