Let's Talk...Cruelty-Free Beauty

Sep 25

One of my biggest aims for 2017 was to make a conscious effort with my beauty choices. And before I get into this post I just want to make a few things clear, I'm not a cruelty-free blogger and I still use items that aren't cruelty-free. But like I said, this year I did want to make an effort to shop and use more cruelty-free brands to explore the world a little more. And maybe I'm a little narrow-minded but whenever I think of CF beauty I think very green and to be completely honest a bit crap. But, obviously, I've quickly discovered that isn't the case and there are some really awesome CF brands with some incredible products out there.

WHAT IS CRUELTY-FREE?

There is probably a lot that I could write on this but to put it simply cruelty-free means that none of the ingredients in that product were tested on animals. But there also some other things that go into a product being truly cruelty-free which is the following;

None of the ingredients were tested on animals.
The final product or any of the ingredients used within the product haven't been tested on animal or done so by a third party. Often brands will use a third party to test on animals but because they haven't done it themselves they can still say their CF.
Whether or not the brand sold in China or other countries where it is law to test on animals.

FINDING OUT WHAT IS CRUELTY-FREE

Probably one of the biggest battles when it comes to the whole CF thing is finding out what is cruelty-free and what's not. And it's a tricky area to navigate, I found this really awesome website that gave a pretty comprehensive list with links of cruelty-free beauty. As we live in the wonderful age of the internet all it takes is quick Google search to help you find out what is CF and what's not. Doing your own research is also key.

Cruelty-Free Kitty

CRUELTY-FREE & VEGAN ARE NOT THE SAME

When you hear the word cruelty-free it's also too easy to presume that those products are also vegan but the two aren't the same. We all probably all know at this point that if you're vegan that means you don't eat or use any products that are derived from animals. And even some vegan beauty brands can still claim to be vegan but they might not be cruelty-free. Common ingredients used in cruelty-free beauty products that not vegan are;

Albumen
Carmine
Cholesterol
Gelatin

Honey
Beeswax
Lanolin
Collagen

CRUELTY-FREE BRANDS THAT ARE OWNED BY BIGGER COMPANIES

Now, this is a topical issue and it's something that I really want to know how other people feel on the subject. There are cruelty-free brands out there like...

Tarte who were bought by Kose who are not cruelty free.
Burt's Bees who was bought by Clorox who are not cruelty-free.
NYX, Essie, Urban Decay and The Body Shop who were bought by L'Oreal who are not cruelty free.

And it's quite the dilemma because whilst the brand itself stands by its cruelty-free practices the powerhouses who own them do not. And if I made the choice to become completely cruelty-free with my beauty choices would I still shop at those brands? As of right now, these are my thoughts, yes I would still shop at the brands because it sends a message to the parent company that I want to buy from a cruelty-free brand. But and there is a big but is right to still shop from those brands as they indirectly support animal cruelty? Whilst it's not the same something that is along a similar line is buying a vegan meal from somewhere that sells meat. And this comes down to using your money to show what you want. The more that people buy vegan brands whether it be from Tesco or from a local restaurant. If the business can see that the need is there then they will be more likely to stock it and therefore making it more accessible.

CRUELTY-FREE BRANDS THAT I USE AND LOVE

TOO FACED

I fell in love with Too Faced from the outset, to be honest. There adorable packaging with their dreamy formulations makes my beauty-loving heart sing. But they, of course, make beautiful products that perform without question. Here are my favourites;

PIXI

Whilst I'm not overly familiar with Pixi for their makeup although their blush in Peach Honey is absolutely superb. They're a brand that I absolutely adore for their beautiful skincare and they've been a staple in my routine for years. Favourites include;

BeautyBlushDuo-Kabuki-PeachHoney-19JUN15-web_grande.jpg

TARTE

It pains me that this brand is still so difficult to get hold of and whilst some items are available on QVC nothing beats being able to browse in person. Ever since using one of their blushers years ago I've fallen more and more in love with Tarte as the time's gone on. Here are my most loved from the brand;