“Cruelty-free” is a term generally coined to describe products produced without the involvement of animals from the ingredients up to the finished product. As the beauty industry revamps, people become more aware and critical of what to put on their skin. With this, the “cruelty-free” label is not only becoming a trend but a social responsibility.
Cruelty-free skincare is often incorporated with organic products known to have pleasing effects on the skin. Cruelty-free products often have fewer chemicals in them. Meanwhile, it is also patronized by the whole vegan population, whose values are inlined w/ the principles of cruelty-free skincare.
When did “cruelty-free” start?
Cruelty-free was coined in the 1950s to promote faux furs, where companies use animal welfare as a front. What makes the term “cruelty-free” abused over the years is that there are no specific guidelines as to what cruelty-free really means.
There are attempts to set standards, but there’s still an ongoing practice of exploiting the animals. Some of the efforts are the birth of organizations like PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Beauty Without Bunnies, founded in 1987, and the Leaping Bunny Program in 1996.
- Beauty Without Bunnies – classifies cruelty-free products under the “animal test-free” and “animal test-free and vegan” categories. Here, they have a database with product listings of skincare products that are 100% non-animal derived and not tested on animals.
- Leaping Bunny Program – oversees the approval of cruelty-free products for the United States and Canada-based companies. The goal is the same as PETA’s advocacy, ensuring no animal involvement in the formulation and the finished product.
Is your skincare cruelty-free?
With the heaps of skincare products and the unspecified guidelines of cruelty-free skincare, distinguishing cruelty-free products is difficult. For instance, skincare products may not have been tested on animals, but the ingredients are. Companies can just put the terms “cruelty-free” and “not tested on animals” even if it is not.
Here are some beneficial tips to determine if your skincare is cruelty-free:
- Look for the leaping bunny, PETA, or the CCF (Choose Cruelty-Free) logos. Companies cannot simply use the logos since it needs to be purchased first, and they can only purchase unless they are approved to be cruelty-free.
- Check PETA’s website for the listing of cruelty-free products and companies. PETA’s guidelines are one of the strictest to companies but ethical to animals. You can make sure that 99.9% of your skincare are cruelty-free if they are PETA approved.
- Check the manufacturer’s website. You can also send an email inquiry if there are other ingredients on your skincare label that are questionable and if there are unclear descriptions.
Meanwhile, here are the things that might classify your skincare product as the opposite of cruelty-free.
- Products that are not animal-tested but have animal-derived ingredients.
- Unrecognized leaping rabbit logos. Companies also use fake cruelty-free logos to deceive consumers.
- The manufacturing company hired a third-party company to do animal testing.
- Animal testing is done in another country separate from the manufacturing company is based.