General Guidelines
It's hard to find cruelty-free brands in drugstores when it comes to personal and body care, but it's possible. Target is ideal, as their “green” section offers quite a few cruelty-free brands. Shopping at a store like LUSH or The Body Shop* is also a good way of switching to cruelty-free deodorant, shower gel, shampoo, and other essentials.
Tip: Look for your cruelty-free essentials online if you want more selection without breaking the bank. Places like Amazon often offer free shipping and a TON of cruelty-free brands.
Deodorant
I suggest looking into natural brands, which have the bonus of being aluminum-free. Here are my personal suggestions: My Quest For The Best Cruelty-Free Deodorant.
Hair Removal + Shaving
I wrote a very thorough Guide To Cruelty-Free Hair Removal that tackles razors, epilatory creams, epilators and more!
Hair Care
Some of my favorite shampoos can be found in my post titled 5 Cruelty-Free Shampoos For Amazing Hair. I also posted a Cruelty-Free Dry Shampoo Roundup.
Skincare
I personally love skincare brands on the natural side. I love to do my skincare shopping at The Detox Market or Spirit Beauty Lounge. A brand I would highly recommend for problematic or sensitive skin is Paula's Choice.
Body Care
If you want to break free from drugstore brands that are tested on animals, I suggest giving The Body Shop* or LUSH a try. If that's not your thing, you can still easily find cruelty-free shower gel, body lotion, and soap at Target or online, either using Amazon or from independent companies.
Hair Dye
I love Aveda salons and I've always had a positive experience with mine. Aveda is cruelty-free (but keep in mind it's owned by Estee Lauder). If you want to dye your hair at home, I mention a few brands for you to try out in my post on The Best Cruelty-Free Hair Dye.
Oral Care
I give you a list of all the available cruelty-free dental care brands in my post on Cruelty-Free Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Floss. There are many!
Makeup | Drugstore
The good news: Only a handful of drugstore brands test on animals. The bad news: These few brands make up for about 75% of the makeup aisles, because it's companies like L'Oreal, Revlon, Maybelline, Covergirl, and Rimmel -- all the widest stands. If you're a drugstore makeup person, take a look at my list of cruelty-free drugstore brands. You'll find dozens of brands to choose from here:
You can still find some great products at the drugstore, but from personal experience, it's harder to find a great drugstore foundation, concealer, or primer from a cruelty-free brand -- this is especially because of the limited shade selection (odds are that 4 foundation shades aren't going to match everyone), but also sometimes because of the quality. I prefer mid-range to high-end makeup in general, but still love brands like NYX, Milani, or Sonia Kashuk for some stuff.
Makeup | Mid-Range and High-End
If you like mid-range and high-end makeup to begin with, you're in luck! There's a ton of cruelty-free makeup brands out there. Just a tip if you find yourself at Sephora, wondering if a certain brand is cruelty-free: Don't ask the employees, because they might unwillingly misguide you. In my experience (and I've heard others say the same), the Sephora employees that know animal testing policies for brands are very rare.
Don't hesitate your own tips and faves in the comments!
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Love reading your articles I’m trying to switch over to cruelty free brands and always use your site to help me x
I have been making a complete switch by doing a lot of research. What’s left: cruelty free laundry detergent and hair dye. When it comes to the brands that DO test, I ONLY use the razors, toothbrushes, and any product that would not be tested on animals. But idk if that counts ? I’m also on a budget. But all my hair stuff is cruelty free, my hand soap, my body wash, face wash, lotions, toothpaste, mouthwash, makeup, etc is cruelty free. Even my perfume. I stopped using shaving cream about 2-3 years ago because it irritates my skin and gives me allergies, so I just use whatever body soap I use. The only non cruelty free items I use are tools, because they themselves are not tested on animals. I also don’t use products with collagen because that is also disgusting to me. Animals are not beauty ingredients.
I just came across your blog, thanks for the information. My first time buying Burt’s Bees and I find this blog. Have you ever reviewed MLM products? I saw Mary Kay on your list and was wondering about Amway and Younique products. Thanks again for your time.
Thank you for making this blog…i want to switch all my products to cruelty free brands..there is just no need for animal testing..bless you and your kittys heart 🙂
I LOVE this blog! =^..^=
I just want to add that my hair salon is a Kevin Murphy salon and those products are cruelty-free too. 🙂
Awesome, I love Kevin Murphy!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m hoping to add a few more posts to make switching to cruelty-free products easy, so let me know if you still have any issues. 🙂
The Chinese government, in accordance with their law, can take cosmetics off the shelves at random and conduct animal testing. CHOICE believes that, because of this, The Body Shop can no longer guarantee that its products are cruelty-free.
Thanks for the great advice! I had tried a variety of Lush soaps out, but I still felt that they were drying on my skin. I’ve heard of the brand Tree to Tub (they claim to sell vegan and cruelty-free soaps) that can help with skin problems. Has anyone ever used them?
I’ve included the link to one of their articles I had read:
https://www.treetotub.com/blogs/blog-posts/end-acne-dry-skin-and-sensitive-skin-with-this-ayurvedic-fruit
Can u plz help with a vegan wax that i cud find in delhi not to expensive but.
Sugaring maybe?
I’m understanding that Aveda is now not considered cruelty free since EL reversed their animal testing policies for their companies so they can sell in China (Aveda included).
They don’t sell in China, but their policy is to “not test on animals unless required by law”.
Yeah, that doesn’t work for me…switching to Paula’s Choice for skin care now!
we love these guidelines ~
http://www.lechatcitron.com
I found making the switch rather easy, I found your guides really helpful though 🙂 xxx
http://www.thejulyjournal.com
Thank you! xo