Choosing cosmetics without cruelty
Lottie Macro explains how to choose make-up to reduce harm to animals
Cruelty-Free & Vegan Makeup:
A product that is labelled ‘cruelty-free’ is produced without any form of animal testing throughout the creation and the production process. And yes, there is a difference between the ‘creation’ and the ‘production’ parts, which also extends to third party involvement, not just the producer of the final product. For example, none of the ingredients or the final product may be tested on animals. Sometimes a product will state it is ‘required by law’ to test on animals to comply with various legislation around the world. But even so, always remember that these products are NOT 100% cruelty-free.
Vegan makeup doesn’t contain any animal by-products. A by-product can be an animal ingredient or animal-derived ingredient. For example, a vegan lipstick wouldn’t contain beeswax as this is derived directly from bees. Most people believe that the term ‘vegan’ implies that the product isn’t tested on animals; however, this isn’t regulated so be careful not to make assumptions. A product can be tested on animals and can still legally claim to be ‘vegan’.
You may have assumed that most major cosmetics companies were on board with alternatives to animal testing, but there are some that still pay to harm them. It isn’t always easy to know which brands are completely cruelty-free. For instance, L’Oréal, which doesn’t test on animals in the United States, pays for testing in China, where archaic and painful experiments on animals are required for cosmetics.
Cruelty-free is a misleading term, as we’ve already established, but there are logos that confirm if they are cruelty-free and vegan. There are really only three logos you should trust when looking for non-animal tested cosmetics. These are: the leaping bunny, the PETA bunny logo and the CCF bunny logo. Any other symbol or logo of a bunny, although they are cute, are unofficial and shouldn’t be trusted without further research. Companies have to pay an extra fee to display these logos on their packaging so, because of this, some certified products might not actually display the logos!
Wouldn’t it be easy if an ingredient was labelled ‘I’m an animal by-product’? Unfortunately, it might not be as easy as that to spot whether your product is vegan or not. Many cosmetics have a number of different ingredients which will be unfamiliar to most people. Most of them are synthetic but look out for the following animal-derived ingredients: Collagen, Beeswax, Carmine, Lanolin, Keratin, Guanine and Squalane, to name a few! There are more which you can find out about through various online resources. Let’s dive into what these unusual ingredients actually are and where they come from!
1. Collagen:
Often used in anti-ageing products due to its plumping and firming effect, collagen is naturally produced in animals. In order to get the protein for beauty purposes, it is normally taken from dead animal’s bones, connective tissue and skin – so not vegan-friendly!
2. Beeswax (a.k.a. cera alba, cera lava):
This is taken directly from a bee hive and can be used in eye shadow, foundation or lipstick. It is taken from worker bees and can take six or more pounds of honey to create just one pound of wax.
3. Carmine:
Known by many different names such as cochineal, cochineal extract, crimson lake, natural red 4, C.I. 75470, E120 and carminic acid – Now that’s a lot of names! This deep red colour is taken from crushed insect body and legs.
4. Keratin:
Used to give you luscious hair, this is a protein that is naturally found in mammals, it’s generally taken from hair, nails and horns.
5. Guanine (a.k.a. CI 75170):
This gives extra shine and sparkle to your blusher, eye shadow and nail polish. It is created by scraping fish scales off dead fish and soaking them in alcohol to create an iridescent solution.
6. Lanolin:
Sometimes used in lip balms and lotions, this is a fat that’s created from the grease in sheep’s hair.
7. Squalane:
Commonly used in various moisturisers and cosmetics, this ingredient is made from the oils found in the liver of sharks.
Lactic acid and Glycerine can both be derived from animals but companies have started to use plant sources so you might need to contact the company if you’re unsure.
Research suggests that at least 115 million animals may be used in experiments worldwide each year! But fortunately, there are plenty of brands that do not use animals for their products! They can be found both in the high street and online at affordable prices. If you find ethical companies, they will clearly label their products as vegan or cruelty-free. Here are some brands that sell vegan and cruelty-free products: E.L.F, Barry M Cosmetics, MUA Makeup Academy, The Body Shop, Lush, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Axiology and Pacifica. There are a lot more companies but here are just a few.
Lottie Macro, Year 11
Cruelty-Free & Vegan Makeup:
A product that is labelled ‘cruelty-free’ is produced without any form of animal testing throughout the creation and the production process. And yes, there is a difference between the ‘creation’ and the ‘production’ parts, which also extends to third party involvement, not just the producer of the final product. For example, none of the ingredients or the final product may be tested on animals. Sometimes a product will state it is ‘required by law’ to test on animals to comply with various legislation around the world. But even so, always remember that these products are NOT 100% cruelty-free.
Vegan makeup doesn’t contain any animal by-products. A by-product can be an animal ingredient or animal-derived ingredient. For example, a vegan lipstick wouldn’t contain beeswax as this is derived directly from bees. Most people believe that the term ‘vegan’ implies that the product isn’t tested on animals; however, this isn’t regulated so be careful not to make assumptions. A product can be tested on animals and can still legally claim to be ‘vegan’.
You may have assumed that most major cosmetics companies were on board with alternatives to animal testing, but there are some that still pay to harm them. It isn’t always easy to know which brands are completely cruelty-free. For instance, L’Oréal, which doesn’t test on animals in the United States, pays for testing in China, where archaic and painful experiments on animals are required for cosmetics.
Cruelty-free is a misleading term, as we’ve already established, but there are logos that confirm if they are cruelty-free and vegan. There are really only three logos you should trust when looking for non-animal tested cosmetics. These are: the leaping bunny, the PETA bunny logo and the CCF bunny logo. Any other symbol or logo of a bunny, although they are cute, are unofficial and shouldn’t be trusted without further research. Companies have to pay an extra fee to display these logos on their packaging so, because of this, some certified products might not actually display the logos!
Wouldn’t it be easy if an ingredient was labelled ‘I’m an animal by-product’? Unfortunately, it might not be as easy as that to spot whether your product is vegan or not. Many cosmetics have a number of different ingredients which will be unfamiliar to most people. Most of them are synthetic but look out for the following animal-derived ingredients: Collagen, Beeswax, Carmine, Lanolin, Keratin, Guanine and Squalane, to name a few! There are more which you can find out about through various online resources. Let’s dive into what these unusual ingredients actually are and where they come from!
1. Collagen:
Often used in anti-ageing products due to its plumping and firming effect, collagen is naturally produced in animals. In order to get the protein for beauty purposes, it is normally taken from dead animal’s bones, connective tissue and skin – so not vegan-friendly!
2. Beeswax (a.k.a. cera alba, cera lava):
This is taken directly from a bee hive and can be used in eye shadow, foundation or lipstick. It is taken from worker bees and can take six or more pounds of honey to create just one pound of wax.
3. Carmine:
Known by many different names such as cochineal, cochineal extract, crimson lake, natural red 4, C.I. 75470, E120 and carminic acid – Now that’s a lot of names! This deep red colour is taken from crushed insect body and legs.
4. Keratin:
Used to give you luscious hair, this is a protein that is naturally found in mammals, it’s generally taken from hair, nails and horns.
5. Guanine (a.k.a. CI 75170):
This gives extra shine and sparkle to your blusher, eye shadow and nail polish. It is created by scraping fish scales off dead fish and soaking them in alcohol to create an iridescent solution.
6. Lanolin:
Sometimes used in lip balms and lotions, this is a fat that’s created from the grease in sheep’s hair.
7. Squalane:
Commonly used in various moisturisers and cosmetics, this ingredient is made from the oils found in the liver of sharks.
Lactic acid and Glycerine can both be derived from animals but companies have started to use plant sources so you might need to contact the company if you’re unsure.
Research suggests that at least 115 million animals may be used in experiments worldwide each year! But fortunately, there are plenty of brands that do not use animals for their products! They can be found both in the high street and online at affordable prices. If you find ethical companies, they will clearly label their products as vegan or cruelty-free. Here are some brands that sell vegan and cruelty-free products: E.L.F, Barry M Cosmetics, MUA Makeup Academy, The Body Shop, Lush, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Axiology and Pacifica. There are a lot more companies but here are just a few.
Lottie Macro, Year 11