We don’t need to tell you the benefits of buying products not tested on animal. When you put on your makeup, lotion or cologne, you don’t worry that some poor rabbit or guinea pig has tried it on first. But with little regulation over cosmetics labeling, genuinely cruelty-free products aren’t always easy to find.
The FDA requires animal testing for drugs, but testing cosmetics and household products on animals is not required (read the FDA’s animal testing policy here), which means companies test on animals of their own free will. Nor does the FDA regulate or define the terms “not tested on animals” or “cruelty-free,” which also leaves labeling at the discretion of the company. So how do you sort out the truly humane products from those just looking for a sales boost?
The easiest way to ensure you’re buying real cruelty-free products is to buy from a company that never tests on animals, like Revlon or Avon. PETA and CaringConsumer.com keep a database of companies that have signed a “no animal testing” assurance and adopted a permanent cruelty-free policy.
Of course, you don’t always come prepared to the store with a list of cruelty-free companies, but a new iPhone application is about to change that. PETA’s "Be Nice to Bunnies” application allows users to search their database on the go, sorting by brand, manufacturer or product category.
Ok, if you don’t have an iPhone; there’s still a few precautions you can take. Look on the label for PETA’s cruelty-free bunny logo – a rabbit’s face with the ears forming a big pink heart – or the leaping bunny logo of the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, another anti-animal testing organization.
Looking for those logos will help weed out products that may not be tested on animals themselves, but are sold by a parent company that hasn’t banned animal testing. For example, Herbal Essences shampoo is not tested on animals and says so on the label, so you may pick that up at the store and think you’re good to go. But Herbal Essences doesn’t merit PETA’s bunny logo because its parent company, Clairol, is on PETA’s naughty list, and that’s where your money ultimately goes.
See how tricky it can be? Without an FDA-enforced definition, the term “not tested on animals” has all kinds of loopholes, so try to stick with products approved by PETA or the CCIC.
On a side note, it’s also important to understand that cruelty-free products are not necessarily vegan. Some contain animal ingredients like honey or lanolin, but do not test the resulting product on animals. For vegan suggestions, check PETA’s database and look for the "V" that denotes vegan products.
Sadly, most cosmetic ingredients out there have been tested on animals at some point in the past, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help put a stop to new animal testing today by buying from companies that are genuinely cruelty-free. Visit the databases above now to see how your favorite cosmetics fare!
