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nobunniesharmed · 4 years

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Are Vegan Products Automatically Cruelty-Free? (And Vice Versa)

Vegan cosmetics are no longer a niche alternative. They're gradually becoming accessible and mainstream.

It's easy to mistake vegan products as automatically cruelty-free since they don't contain animal ingredients and byproducts. But this isn't always true.

Brands that sell vegan products may still source their ingredients from suppliers that test on animals or pay for third-party companies to animal-test their products on their behalf. Most importantly, they can be selling to areas where post-market animal testing is required by law, like mainland China.

TL;DR: Vegan products aren't automatically cruelty-free especially if they're from a brand that tests on animals during any stage of the production.

Are all cruelty-free products vegan, then?

No, they're not. Some cruelty-free cosmetics may contain animal byproducts like milk, honey, beeswax, carmine, and snail mucin. It's up to you to do your due diligence and read the ingredients list if you prefer cruelty-free products that are also vegan.

It should also be noted that there have been developments in vegan alternatives to ingredients that are originally derived from animals. Recent ones include glycerin, squalane/squalene, and retinol. So, once again, check the ingredients list or the brand's website to confirm whether these are plant-derived.

Unlinked sources:

1 https://unsplash.com/photos/RicS6E_SOCU 2 https://www.milkmakeup.com/milk-makeup-vegan.html 3 https://www.vegan.com/animal-ingredients/ 4 https://www.sustainablejungle.com/featured/cruelty-free-vs-vegan/

#cruelty-free #cruelty-free beauty #cf 101 #cf files #vegan beauty

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nobunniesharmed · 4 years

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Influencers Who Helped Me Go Cruelty-Free

I've been working in the digital advertising industry for almost 3 years now, and it has made me pretty resilient and resistant to buying into the hype. I can't really blame influencers for contributing to that as it's their job to create buzz around products and brands. Companies tap into their influence, hoping that they'll convert their audience into customers.

So, it's a rare and magical circumstance when an influencer goes out of their way to influence not only buying decisions but also significant and positive changes and attitudes. And that's exactly what these women did to me.

Kelly Gooch

Youtube | Instagram

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I stumbled upon Kelly Gooch's YouTube channel when I was looking for blush recommendations. Then, I watched one of her declutter videos and was intrigued by her reason for getting rid of or passing on some of the products: they were no longer cruelty-free.

Kelly Gooch's series of cruelty-free videos provided a digestible introduction to beginners like me and made the journey less daunting. Her warm and approachable character was welcoming, almost like listening to a friend who's passionate about makeup products they love. I highly recommend her to anyone interested in learning about cruelty-free beauty. She's the best starting point.

Kackie Reviews Beauty

Youtube | Instagram

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Before discovering that animal testing still exists, I was actually exposed to an even bigger, more overwhelming whirlwind of another lifestyle. Diving into that subculture of the beauty community felt restrictive and scary. It made me think that I have to follow all these rules and almost pressured me to throw out my current makeup collection just to fully integrate this "healthier" change into my life.

I didn't push through with that, and I found the goal of this belief to be selfish more than for the environment or other social cause. My feelings were verified when I watched Kackie Reviews Beauty's thoughts on "clean" beauty.

Kackie is my favorite beauty YouTuber. She's the first person on the platform I've watched who I don't feel like I'm being sold products to. She has a "sister knows best vibe" that's personable, you just have to listen and nod to what she's saying. I love that she's very specific about the products she chooses where it has to pass these 3 questions: (1) Is it cruelty-free? (2) Is it going to look nice on her face? (3) Will her face love it?

I highly recommend Kackie to anyone who's looking to advance their cruelty-free journey. She also looks into ingredients, sustainability, and other aspects of mindful consumerism. She regularly does a recap of product releases, as well, which is helpful to anyone doing anti-hauls or no-buys.

Local Influencers?

While there are many other cruelty-free influencers on various platforms, the lifestyle isn't as mainstream as I wished it should be. Hopefully, more influencers will adopt this principle seriously as opposed to treating it as a trend. We need more beautiful faces and voices who support and put their money on brands that are deserving.

Unfortunately, we don’t know of any Filipino beauty influencers who are strictly cruelty-free. If you know someone who is, let us know so we can get into them! Otherwise, we hope that No Bunnies Harmed will inspire and motivate anyone to start their CF journey.

#cruelty-free #cruelty-free beauty #cruelty-free influencers #cf 101 #cf files

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nobunniesharmed · 4 years

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Do Local Beauty Brands Test On Animals?

The EU and India, and possibly other undisclosed nations and regions, implement strict bans on animal testing, while some countries, including Israel, prohibit the import, export, and marketing of animal-tested products.

These large-scale decisions prove that animal testing is an outdated and unethical practice that can and should cease to be in place.

So where does the Philippines stand in being cruelty-free?

Currently, the Philippines doesn't have a law that explicitly bans animal-testing raw materials, ingredients, and chemicals during production and finished products before they're put in the shelves of stores. Republic Act 8485 or The Animal Welfare Act, which has no clear provisions on laboratory testing, hasn't been updated since it was penned in 1998.

The bright side is that animal testing isn't required by law in the Philippines, so many local brands have the opportunity to be cruelty-free from the conception of their company and products.

How Can You Tell If Brands Are Cruelty-Free?

Unfortunately, it’s complicated as there’s nothing that can tell you straight away whether a brand is cruelty-free.

Don’t Rely On PETA’s Certification/Logo

Sadly, while PETA has a pretty comprehensive list of companies that don’t test on animals, it includes those that sell products in China.

What’s The Deal With China?

Animal testing is required for all cosmetic and body care products made and sold there. So an international brand can claim to be cruelty-free, but it no longer will be once it enters the Chinese market as its products will be subject to post-market animal testing.

Recently, there was misleading news about China’s animal testing policy. It’s true that the country is taking steps towards alternatives to testing products that don’t involve animals. But that’s still not fully implemented.

What Else Should I Look Out For?

Another thing that makes it complicated is that PETA’s standards are too loose and vague. It only requires companies to fill out a questionnaire and sign a statement of assurance that they won't conduct or pay for animal testing for ingredients, formulations, or finished products and pledge to go forth with these practices in the future.

PETA has good intentions with their cruelty-free list, and it’s a great step to anyone looking to start their journey to being a smarter consumer. It’s a safe bet to choose PETA-recognized brands. But due to the lack of investigation on their part, one can't be sure that a brand is truly cruelty-free in all stages of production, including sourcing materials and ingredients from suppliers that don’t do animal testing.

In simpler terms, companies can only be truly cruelty-free if they source their ingredients from a supplier that doesn’t test on animals, don’t test formulations and prototypes on animals, don’t implement pre- and post-market animal testing on finished products, and don’t pay third-party entities to animal-test on their behalf.

So What Now?

Thankfully, you can look to Leaping Bunny for a more reliable list of cruelty-free companies. Leaping Bunny is a collective of several animal welfare organizations that aim to revive the integrity of the “cruelty-free” label by taking away confusing and misleading information.

Leaping Bunny’s standards are more defined and stricter than PETA’s. Companies who wish to have the internationally recognized Leaping Bunny logo need to pledge, along with their ingredient suppliers, that all stages of their product development won't involve animal testing. They should also agree to undergo annual independent audits and renewals of their cruelty-free status.

What About Brands That Aren’t Recognised?

Being recognized by Leaping Bunny and PETA is voluntary, and having their logos in product packaging and marketing materials costs a significant amount of money, which can be pricey, especially for small indie companies. So there are cruelty-free brands out there that aren’t listed.

Look to Ethical Elephant, Logical Harmony, and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s cruelty-free list, which they always update. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to know that popular cult faves, like Anastasia Beverly Hills and Tarte, and drugstore staples, like Milani and elf, are cruelty-free!

For Philippine brands, the best way to identify their cruelty-free status is to contact them and ask them about the involvement of animal testing in all stages of production. In my opinion, it’s not bad to support local brands who claim to be cruelty-free because supporting local brands in itself is already a good start to being a smarter consumer.

No Bunnies Harmed will aim to build relationships with local companies so we can have a definitive list of truly cruelty-free products in the Philippines. We hope to do this once we’ve gained significant traction and following.

In the meantime, do your own research and use what you have. The switch to cruelty-free beauty doesn’t have to be abrupt. If you want to see a guide on transitioning to cruelty-free beauty, let us know!

Unlinked sources:

1 https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/cruelty-free-101/not-tested-on-animals-or-is-it/ 2 https://www.leapingbunny.org/about/us 3 http://www.projectvanity.com/projectvanity/cruelty-free-beauty 4 https://phyrra.net/grey-area-brands-brands-test-on-animals.html 5 https://unsplash.com/photos/AyU9qn38z0Y

#cruelty-free #cruelty-free beauty #PH brands #cruelty-free PH brands #cruelty-free local brands #local beauty brands #cf 101

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