“As long as humans continue to be the ruthless destroyed of other beings, we will never know health or peace. For as long as people massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, those who sow the seed of murder and pain will never reap joy or love.”
– Pythagoras of Samos, ca. 530 BCE
Why should you start buying cruelty free products? Besides the ethical reasons, these companies tend to be more environmentally conscious too. They usually use more natural ingredients. This is important because your body is covered in pores. Your skin not only acts as a barrier to germs, but it also acts as a sponge. This sponge mechanism is why we put lotions and butters on our skin when they feel dry. We should really strive to look for ingredients we wouldn’t mind putting it in our mouths too since it is all absorbed. I know looking at chemicals, especially in the US, is hard. We assume things on the shelf are safe, but it’s almost comical that we test on animals considering we have 12 ingredients on the banned AND restricted list, while in the EU there is 1,382. It’s like our governing agencies don’t really care what gets put on us and the environment anyway.
When testing things on animals, various methods are used. Some include:
- Rubbing the chemicals onto a animal’s shaved skin
- Dripping chemicals into an animal’s eyes
- Force feeding chemicals over weeks or months
- Determining what dose of the chemical would cause death
So here we go! Five reasons you should buy cruelty free products & why it’s better for the environment.
We’re all mammals
I believe it’s crazy we test on animals because they’re mammals, like us. Because of this, we assume they will likely react to an ingredient as we would. Yet, we neglect the fact that if this ingredient would cause us pain, it is also causing them pain. Ingredients made by nature are more often than not safe (and yes, I know not everything in nature is safe or healthy). Mother nature has provided us a landscape of safe ingredients to make our products with, yet we want to cut corners and save money. Unfortunately, this can be detrimental to our health, the environment, and other creatures.
They use less chemicals
By not buying a product for every need in your life, you’re decreasing waste, chemical run off into the water ways, and fumes going into the air and your lungs. You don’t want products full of toxic chemicals that will cause endocrine problems or harsh chemicals that will dry out your skin. Just as with food labels, research what is in your products. If you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t put it on your skin.
Lab animals aren’t just rats
Besides the fact that we shouldn’t torture rats for our own gain, lab animals include rabbits, dogs, and cats. Isn’t is crazy how you can’t legally beat your dog or feed your cat poison, but cosmetic companies can test things on them that cause them to bleed, put them in pain, or kill them? In 2013, 67,772 dogs and 24,221 cats were used in the US alone. A large number of the dogs were beagles. We use to have a beagle for a pet, so this breaks my heart to think he could have ended up somewhere like this.
You’re producing less waste
Animal testing facilities make a large amount of waste. Think about it, animal waste, chemical waste, chemical run off, and then throwing out animal’s bodies all takes resources and has an impact on our environment. Cruelty free companies tend to also think about their packaging and strive for more environmentally friendly products.
Governments are banning it
The European Union, India, Switzerland, New Zealand, and more have banned this practice. Unfortunately, the US is not with the times. Also, if you see a product listed as ‘made in China’, just know that, by law, they are REQUIRED to test on animals before putting it on the market.
How to know what to buy
Researching your brand before you go shopping is the best way. If you cannot find the info or the company isn’t transparent about it, they probably aren’t cruelty free. The leaping bunny or PETA’s cruelty free bunny help you to know that these products haven’t been tested on animals.
Myths & Facts
Just some quick things to consider when buying your products.
- When you see the words “cruelty free”, “not tested on animals”, or a non specific bunny on the label only means that the finished product wasn’t tested on animals. They could also contract a company to do the testing. Yes, frustrating. Make sure to look for the PETA or Leaping Bunny!
- Vegan and cruelty free are not interchangeable. Vegan means no animals products (lanolin from sheep, beeswax or honey from bees, goat’s milk, silk, gelatin, etc) are used.
- As with anything, there are loop holes. The leaping bunny is considered the strictest in terms of standards. This is another reason it’s important to try and research a brand as much as you can.
What are some of your favorite cruelty free brands? Let me know below!
Thank y’all for reading today! I hope you found value in this and that it sprung some thoughts into your head. Namaste!
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