True Beauty is Cruelty Free

I wear makeup to help hide my insecurities, boost my confidence and help me to feel pretty! Putting something on my face or body that an animal had to be tortured for does not make me feel pretty. Therefore I only buy from brands that do not test on animals i.e cruelty free. Cruelty free does not necessarily mean they are vegan, although many tend to be. When it comes to beauty products it's a no brainer for me, it is the 21st century and carrying out the torturous act of animal testing feels like it is from the dark ages. Not to mention how daft and irrelevant it is in the first place. It has been proven time and time again that testing something on an animal does not automatically translate into safety on humans.

One thing I've noticed recently is that a lot of people seem to get their knickers in a twist about ‘parent companies’ that carry out animal testing who have bought out smaller companies that that do not. Even though the majority of these companies such as 'The Body Shop' or 'Bare Minerals' keep there cruelty free ethos many people stop buying from these companies arguing that doing so is putting money in the pockets of those who exploit animals. If you think like this I challenge you to think about where you spend you money.

Do you buy food in supermarkets that sell animal products? 
Do you eat in restaurants that serve animal products? 
Do you buy makeup in stores that sell non-cruelty free brands?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions then aren't you already putting money in their pockets? Which is one of the reasons I choose to buy from brands that are cruelty free - even if they are owned by parent companies that are not. Another part of me hopes that the cruelty free companies will make enough of a profit that their parent company will realize that consumers care about that sort of stuff and stop animal testing but I do also feel that’s wishful thinking as so many people still use products tested on animals. On top of this coming from a small city on the west coast of Ireland where choices are very limited compared to the bigger cities in UK and the States not buying from these brands would leave one with an extremely limited choice of products.

*

It’s important to keep reality in check and for everyone to realize as Stephen Davis once said; ‘nobody’s hands are free from the blood of other animals’. No matter how ethically and cautiously one lives nobody leaves this planet without leaving an ecological footprint; be it some a lot larger than others. Nevertheless, I strongly believe small changes can make a big difference. I’m not expecting anyone that reads this to only buy cruelty free products from here on out but I would hope it would make people think twice before buying a product and maybe, if there were two foundations of equal excellence and you couldn’t decide - one was cruelty free, one wasn’t, that you may go for the cruelty free one.

Just one more aspect I wanted to address before I finish up is the whole China thing! For cosmetics to be sold in *Mainland China (not Hong Kong or Macau) it is required by law for them to undergo animal testing. Therefore any cosmetics sold in Mainland China are 100% non-cruelty free. China is the only country in the world to have this law, and since China has a population of over 1 billion people which makes the United States population of 300 million or the whole of Europe’s 700 million look measly, it's no wonder why the vast majority of beauty companies choose to sell in Mainland China. As disgusting as it is that these companies put money and greed ahead of innocent animals, it unfortunately isn't that shocking in this day and age. This makes me more respectful of companies that retain their beliefs in spite of money that could be made if they sold in China.

If you have found any value in this wee blog post please do share it along. 

Much Love,
Christina
x

*Full Rachel Carson quote: ''Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is - whether it's victim is human or animal - we cannot expect things to be much better in this world. We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing, we set back the progress of humanity.''

**Mainland/ Inland China i.e The People’s Republic of China does not include Hong Kong and Macau which have their own independent governments in which do not enforce animal testing. Therefore a company can still sell goods that did not go through animal testing in Hong Kong and Macau, but not in The People’s Republic of China. It’s a bit mind boggling but if you are familiar with Irish history, it could be compared to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland situation. So just be careful not to accuse any companies of lying or to limit your choices more than they should be .