When you’re browsing in a beauty aisle, probably the last thing on your mind is ethics. But animal testing should be on your radar, because many beauty brands test their products on our sweet and innocent furry friends.
Thankfully, there’s a super easy way to figure out if you’re using a brand that does not test on animals. The Leaping Bunny Program was founded by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC). They created an internationally recognized Leaping Bunny Logo, which consumers can identify on products that are cruelty-free. They even offer a Cruelty-Free app for users to easily identify companies that are animal friendly.
Fear not, because there are many items on the beauty market that are cruelty-free. We’ve compiled our top eight brands that you can use confidently, knowing no animals were harmed in the making!
Julep is not your average beauty brand! They’re making strides towards being completely cruelty-free, plus they offer vegan products. Julep is a great go-to for a subscription nail polish box, but they also offer other beauty products, from lipstick to face wash. They do not test on animals, opting to test on their employees instead! Their products are 5-free, which means they do not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, DBP or camphor, and no animal ingredients or byproducts. We highly recommend their Julep Maven Program, a subscription box that let’s you choose exactly what you want every month.
Pacifica Beauty is a natural beauty brand that offers 100 percent vegan, gluten-free and cruelty-free products. Pacifica is known for their sparkly and pastel colored packaging, as well as the company’s eco-friendly habits. Their packaging is entirely recyclable— from the box, to the tube, to the cap! Pacifica also gives back to local communities and donates products to local women’s shelters. We love their coconut water cleansing wipes.
ColourPop is a California-based beauty company that makes their products in Los Angeles. ColourPop boasts that they are 100 percent fur baby friendly and test their products on the humans in their headquarters. They love to find trends from all places, including the Catwalk and YouTube! They recently launched their Matte X lippies collection in 15 universally flattering shades.
Come on, they can’t get any clearer than that. Founded in England in 1963, BWC’s aim was to create natural products without testing on animals or using animal-derived ingredients. Arriving in the United States in 1989, BWC offers a full line of cruelty-free and vegetarian skin, body, and hair care products. We especially love their aromatherapy hair care lavender highland shampoo and conditioner.
It Cosmetics is known for their decadent and fluffy makeup brushes. All products are developed 100 percent cruelty-free and are never tested on animals, plus they consult renowned plastic surgeons and dermatologists to create their products. One of their best sellers, the Brow Power © Universal Eyebrow Pencil is great for brows of all shapes, sizes and colors. Even better? For each pencil sold, one is donated to help women face the effects of cancer with confidence.
Too Faced is known for their innovative eyeshadow palettes and bronzers that are infused with fun scents like cocoa and peaches. Too Faced encourages women to be confident and dream big. Co-founders Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson created the cruelty-free beauty brand in the ‘90s, to encourage individuality and nonconformity. Too Faced is very involved with the Best Friends Animal Society, a large no-kill animal sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals in Utah. If you’re looking for a chocolate-scented eyeshadow palette, look no further than the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette.
Urban Decay is a cruelty-free beauty brand dedicated to ending animal testing. They do not test their products on animals, nor do they allow others to test on their behalf. Additionally, they require suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of their products are not tested on animals. Urban Decay is certified by PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program. A new favorite of ours is their Naked Skin weightless complete coverage concealer. Urban Decay is also well known for their limited edition eyeshadow palettes.
Started by New Jersey local Caroline Ranoia, Sea Foam Soap Co. is a homegrown company. Their products are made with love, from Caroline’s grandmother’s trusted recipe, and can be found at the Blue Eden boutiques in Stone Harbor and Ocean City, New Jersey. The company is cruelty-free with all natural products. The products are made by hand using the finest goat milk, honey, olive oil, glycerin and the best essential oils. No scent can compete with our two favorites, Calm Waters organic sugar scrub and Beach organic sugar scrub. Not in New Jersey? No problem, Sea Foam Soap Co. products can be ordered online as well!
This article previously was published in 2016 by Tote Magazine. © Rachel Shubin 2017
A Millennial in Wonderland 