Why Be Cruelty Free?

Hey guys, so as most of you will know, I've been cruelty free with my makeup choices for some time now. I wanted to write another post about it to help you all understand why being cruelty free is important to me. 

A lot of you have probably noticed the rising awareness of the ingredients in our products. A few years ago no one really put any thought into how these makeup products got onto our shelves - never mind the ingredients and supply chain behind them.  But with social media, there comes greater awareness. We now have much easier access to information then we did before. Which brings me to my first point: do we care what we put on our faces? Why do so many of us not think twice about what is in our products and where it has come from? If more people realised their favourite Mac lipstick came from the result of animal abuse, would they still be wearing it? Well I don't know about others, but the thought of an animal going through unwilling pain and discomfort just for me to look pretty really upsets me and makes me question my moral integrity. I understand the need for animal testing in some circumstances - such as drug trials (even if I still don't 100% agree). But for something as selfish and materialistic as makeup, why is it necessary, when theres perfectly fine alternative methods? 

Of course, the products we have in the UK aren't directly tested on animals, as there are laws in place to prohibit this (thank god). However, companies that sell products in China, by law, have to have their products tested on animals, so they can sell their products there. This is a question of morals vs profit for these companies. Do they choose profit over animal welfare? Well the answer is, many of them do. But not every makeup company does, so why can't we support the ones that don't? The pennies you spend on non-cruelty free companies, goes on them paying for their products to be tested on animals to sell in China. So even if the Mac lipstick in your handbag wasn't directly tested on an animal, the money you spent buying that lipstick has contributed to it. 

Another widely debated 'uncertainty' is whether or not to buy from brands that are cruelty free, but are owned by a parent company that tests on animals. For example, Urban Decay and Body Shop are cruelty free brands, but are owned by Loreal who aren't cruelty free. There are many different views on this, all valid. My personal view is that it is fine to purchase from any cruelty free brand, regardless of their parent company. This is because I feel it is important for the parent companies to see where consumers money is being spent and why. If they see that their cruelty free brand is selling better than their non-cruelty free brand, it is likely to have an impact. If they see that being cruelty free has a direct impact on whether their consumers will purchase, they are likely to change to suit consumer demands. If we were all cruelty free, there would potentially be no companies testing on animals at all - because there is no demand for brands that do. 

This is a very long, chatty and almost political post. But, I feel like it's important for people to understand and question the origins of the beauty products they own. Of course, it's fine if you don't feel like you want/need to be cruelty free. I just want to spread awareness for the reasons me, and many others decide to make this change. It also isn't an easy change, as a lot of well loved makeup brands aren't cruelty free. I will do another post on how I made the change myself, and how I've learned to slowly cut these brands out from my purchasing choices. Hopefully one day there will be no need for this debate and China will change their laws on animal testing! Let me know your views on the 'cruelty free' makeup world. 

Cruelty Free Brands
Going Cruelty Free

Love Rebecca Ashley x