Cruelty-free. Leaping Bunny. PETA. These words have been appearing throughout your local ULTA, Sephora, and Target. But what do they mean? What makes these products different?
In simple terms, there are millions of companies that are not cruelty free across makeup, skincare, household cleaners, dental care, hair products, and hygiene products. When these products are in the trial period, they are consistently tested on lab animals such as rabbits, mice, birds, and monkeys. These animals are subject to painful types of experiments that allow the company to add warnings to the product such as “Do not put product near eyes. If ingested immediately call 911.”. These warnings come from rounds of tests in and on animals in horrific and unspeakable ways.
If you wish to learn more about the life of a lab animal please consider watching the short animated film, “Save Ralph”. TW: Blood, Strong Indications of Violence Against Animals. This is film is eye opening, but also emotional. Watch accordingly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G393z8s8nFY
So you’ve decided to switch to the cruelty free life? Or perhaps just try out a product or two? Here’s where to start. Cruelty free items do not need to take your whole paycheck. Or only be the weird products only sold at all natural organic stores. They can be found right on your local convenience store shelf and be anywhere from a few bucks to 20 dollars.
Or if you’re a Sephora girl and live for those high end brands, many of them are cruelty free already! Rare Beauty, Patrick Ta, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and many others are already certified cruelty free. Knowing this could perhaps make you lean towards a repurchase or exploring other products the brand has to offer instead of just sticking to your favorites.Â
Researching every brand you spot is annoying, I get it. So here are a few brands and products that are universally loved to get you started! (Or just make you pat yourself on the back if they’re already in your rotation).
E.l.f- makeup and Skincare
e.l.f. Cosmetics is an American brand that has quality items for everything it advertises (eyes, lips, and face) and so much more. Found in Target, Ulta, Walgreens, and other drug stores across the country, the low prices and cute packaging make the products stand out. The company has been recently upping their marketing game with lots of promos like in the new Mean Girls movie, TikToks, and partnerships with influencers like Mikayla.Â
Bonus points: their dupes are AMAZING and their diversity in skincare lines is great for the combination skin girlies.Â
Personal faves-
- “Halo Glow” line: the halo glow liquid filter is amazing quality and the perfect daily base. And only for $14!
- “Holy hydration!” skincare line
- Glow Reviver Lip Oil
- Camo Liquid Blush
- Power Grip PrimerÂ
nyx-makeup
NYX Cosmetics, a subsidiary of L’OrĂ©al (who is not cruelty free), has products for literally anything and everything. From their vegan line, to their stunning halloween makeup offerings, and the dozens of shades they sell, it’s hard to find something they don’t have. And the price for that one random lip liner color you just want to try, is hard to pass up on. Definitely worth a peek next time you’re in Ulta and feeling like treating yourself!
Personal faves-Â
- “Bare With Me” Concealer Serum: The range options, as someone who struggles with finding the right undertone, are great.Â
- The endless types of brow gels (seriously endless)
- Slim Lip Pencil
- Slim Eye PencilÂ
- Fat Oil, Lip Lingerie, Butter Gloss: matte, glossy, flavored, take your pick.
wet n wild- makeup
Wet n Wild has come very far from just being available at the dollar store, and their mission of being committed to eradicating animal tasting is something to be proud of. Lots of cheap products that can actually be better quality than they seem!Â
Personal faves-
- “MegaGlo” Highlighting Powder
pixi- makeup and skincare
Pixi beauty and skincare has beautiful packaging and is filled with nourishing clean ingredients that are not harmful to you or the animals! Although it is a bit on the pricey side, Pixi is still drugstore available and certainly still reasonable.
Personal faves-
- “On-the-Glow” Blush/Bronze: one of these lasts forever and they are so easy to blend.
- Glow Tonic
- DetoxifEYE, BeautifEYE, FortifEYE, NutrifEYE: eye patches for all of your different tired eye needs.
Rare Beauty- makeup and body care
Selena Gomez’s line has lots of holy grail worthy products and her commitment to diverse shades, disability friendly packaging, and cruelty free standing is amazing. Although it is a little pricer, the products are quality and last a long time. Head over to your local Sephora and try out one of the adorable mini packs or add the stocking stuffer kits to your Christmas list!
Personal faves-
- Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
- Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush
- Positive Light Liquid LuminizerÂ
- Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick: holy grail worthy!
honorable mentions
- Too Faced (owned by Esteé Lauder)
- Tarte Cosmetics (owned by Kosé)
- Anastasia Beverly Hills
- PATRICK TA Beauty
- Glossier
- Urban Decay (owned by L’OrĂ©al)
- Pacifica
- ULTA Beauty Collection
- CoverGirl (owned by City)
Final thoughts
Interested in learning more or looking up the brands in your bathroom? Cruelty Free Kitty, https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com, is a great website that has all types of information on brands and dives into topics such as parent companies and testing in China. Happy shopping!