Makeup marketed as “vegan,” and “cruelty free,” has been popping up across the country from a variety of well-known makeup brands. What few people know is that just because a product is vegan doesn’t always mean it is also cruelty free and vice versa. “It’s important, however, to note that cruelty free items aren’t truly animal friendly. They often contain ingredients that require the death of an animal to produce – a process that’s hardly cruelty free, (source).” First let’s breakdown these two definitions:
Vegan: A true vegan product “does not contain any animal ingredients or animal derived ingredients. This includes, but is not limited to, honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, albumen, carmine, cholesterol, gelatin, and many others, (source).” This term is largely unregulated resulting in the definition being simply a way to show a product doesn’t contain animal ingredients. Items that are tested on animals can still claim to be “vegan”.
Cruelty Free: For a product to be labeled cruelty free there has to be truly no animal testing from start to finish. “It’s common for companies to not test the final product on animals, but to test it along the way or to use ingredients that have been tested on animals by a third-party. “Required by law” animal testing is also common, (source).” This means that the final product is tested on animals by a third-party to comply with various regional laws around the world. A good example of this is in China where by law products must be tested in order to be sold. “It might be shocking to learn that animal testing is required by law in China for all foreign cosmetics companies. This means that all the big American and European cosmetics brands that are currently sold in China, must undergo animal testing, (source).”
Now that we’ve defined what you’re looking for we want to provide an easy way to find the best cruelty free and also vegan products. In an unregulated industry such as cosmetics looking for some easy clues will help wean out a lot of big brands. The leaping bunny logo is a great place to start. “Joining the Leaping Bunny Program is free for companies (the only cost associated with the program comes with the optional licensing of the Leaping Bunny Logo), but is also optional, (source).” The actual brands are responsible for reaching out to Leaping Bunny to start the process to gain their certification. “Internationally, over 600 companies are proud to be Leaping Bunny Certified. Many display the Leaping Bunny logo on their products, allowing shoppers to identify and choose products that are not animal tested, (source).” Another great way that is not quite as simple is to actually contact the brands you’re interested in wearing or ask through questions about where you’re buying them. Our in house line Elate is entirely vegan and cruelty free along with being made here in Victoria. Smaller non-toxic beauty brands are usually able to give you the straight answer on what standards they abide by and be transparent on what products they produce. If you have more questions about Elate or want to try some of their beautiful line, stop by designHouse at 4-1701 Douglas Street.
