Are Your Beauty Products Cruelty-Free? Here’s How You Can Find Out

Drishti Kapadia | Nov 25, 2021

If there is one thing that Gen Z is sure about–when it comes to their beauty routine–it is the fact that the brands they’re supporting need to have values that align with their own. According to a 2021 report by the USA and UK-based digital media company Kyra Media, Gen Z holds brands accountable to change their processes via social media, often prompting them to reduce packaging waste and take the cruelty-free route.

Animal testing is an unnecessary practice but some of the world’s largest beauty brands still aren’t cruelty-free. If you think about it, when was the last time you checked if the skin and makeup products are cruelty-free? It is way easier to just buy what’s popular rather than sift through the noise and figure out if your favourite brands are as ethical as they seem.

If you’re ready to make the switch, we’ve put together a few tips that may help you to make a socially responsible choice.

Understand the loopholes

Like the term sustainability, cruelty-free is thrown about a little carelessly since there is no proper definition of the word. It generally means that the product and its ingredients have not been tested on animals at any stage during the production process. However, the loophole here is that even though brands may claim they aren’t testing the formulas on animals, they could be having others test on their behalf.

Educate yourself about India’s animal cruelty laws

India is the first South Asian country to have banned the testing of cosmetics and ingredients on animals. The new rules that came into play in 2020 made it compulsory for manufacturers and importers to submit safety data that proved that the formulas had been tested using non-animal assessment methods. If the products are going to be marketed in other countries, authorisation and import permission needs to be granted. Owing to these laws, all Indian beauty products that are made in India are cruelty-free.

Consider the market finished products are being sold in

China has always been one of the top countries to carry out animal testing, however, in 2021, the new rules- have allowed companies to market most ‘general cosmetics’ like makeup, fragrances, and skin, hair, and nail care products without being tested on animals. However, some products like hair dyes, hair perming products, freckle-removing, and skin whitening products, sunscreens, as well as anti-hair loss products, still need to be tested on animals before they can be sold.

Even if a product is from a particular country that has banned animal testing, it is important to note that to be sold in China, the brand needs to pay for the product to be tested in horrible ways. These include the formulas being dripped into the eyes of animals or rubbing on their bodies to check for any allergic reactions.

Read product labels

Often product labels are the biggest giveaways, especially when a brand is claiming to be more ethical than it actually is. Using words like ‘no animals were harmed,’ ‘no animal testing’ and unofficial bunny logos don’t mean much there is no set definition for these words. However, there are different accreditations and logos that a brand can have on their product packaging if they adhere to all the standards required for the certification. PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies is one of the most well-known third-party cruelty-free certifications followed by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics’ leaping bunny logo.

Embrace alternatives

Making the switch to cleaner products doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality. Filtering through tons of formulas can be overwhelming so we’ve put together a list of homegrown, cruelty-free products that we love.

FAE Beauty