In the business world, profits matter over ethics, and if a half-truth can help sell more products, brands aren't going to think twice about it.
When you read a label that says it's "not tested on animals", nine times out of ten it's nothing more than a marketing scheme. It's written there because they want you to buy it, whether or not the product is truly cruelty-free. Companies know that more and more of us demand cruelty-free products every day, which is great! But it also means that we have to be increasingly careful and discerning about those claims.
Let's also not forget that animal testing claims are not regulated by the FDA, which means that companies are free to declare anything on their labels without breaking any laws.
If you're a beginner when it comes to animal testing, here's what you need to know. There are different ways for a company to be involved in animal testing:
1. The Finished Products
A finished product is the final product that's being sold on the shelf. Finished products used to frequently be tested on animals, but it's rare for this to happen today.
Some companies have the label "Finished product not tested on animals", which does not mean they're cruelty-free. Other companies that don't test finished products will simply use the label "not tested on animals", which is even less accurate.
2. The Ingredients
Finished products contain a multitude of ingredients, some of which might have been tested on animals. If the ingredients are already considered safe, they won't be tested on animals. However, if it's a new ingredient, companies might want to test on animals to prove that this new ingredient is safe.
3. The Suppliers
Cosmetics companies get their ingredients (or raw materials) from one or more suppliers. Some suppliers might test on animals. If and only if a company ensures that none of their suppliers test on animals, can the company itself be cruelty-free.
4. Third Parties
Many companies claim not to test on animals, yet fail here. China is the fastest-growing cosmetics market in the world, which makes it very attractive for western companies.
Unfortunately China requires finished cosmetics products to be tested on animals for any foreign company that wishes to enter that market (read more about it here). This means that any company that chooses to sell their products in mainland China is financing animal testing there.
5. The Parent Company
While a company itself can remain cruelty-free after being acquired by a big brand that tests on animals, it's important to emphasize that part of the profits will go to the parent company and indirectly finance further animal testing.
Bottom Line
Most companies will look at one aspect of animal testing and use it as proof that they're cruelty-free, while ignoring the fact that their suppliers might test on animals, or that they test on animals where required by law (in China).
This is unacceptable, and frankly it's deceptive on purpose. We need to stand against these marketing tactics and not let companies get away with it. Never trust the "not tested on animals" claim, and always look for further proof by researching their policy online or by asking them the right questions via e-mail. Only when a company fulfills every single criteria above can you trust that it truly "doesn't test on animals".
Thank you for reading.
From The Cruelty-Free 101 Series:
- 5 Things You MUST Do To Shop Cruelty-Free
- Where I Shop Cruelty-Free
- How To Spot a Fake Cruelty-Free Logo
- How To Determine if a Company is Cruelty-Free
- Testing Finished Products VS. Testing Ingredients
- Animal Testing Is Still Required By Law In China
- Leaping Bunny vs. PETA: Who To Trust?
- Why PETA’s Cruelty-Free List Can’t Be Trusted
- The Leaping Bunny Loophole: Be Aware
- Companies That Test On Animals: Should We Boycott Their Cruelty-Free Brands?
Which Brands Are Cruelty-Free?
Download our list of 600+ verified cruelty-free brands straight to your device. Bring it with you everywhere you go, and never worry about supporting animal testing again. Click here to download
Covergirl is selling crueltry-free products on Amazon. Did not know that covergirl is crueltry-free??
If the product or label on box says cruelty freeing displays correct symbol and says “made in China” does that mean it’s a fake ? Cause China requires AT right? I notice the ulta line their products will say made in China and bath novelty products at Walgreens have symbols but are made in China
Very informative. I never knew all this stuff… I will definitely research products more and will only buy cruelty free products. I will also educate others about this issue. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this cause, God Bless, and God Bless the animals.
Great post, it highlights so much.
Urban Decay – I found out at the counter that their parent company is loreal!
Peta has an article on their wesite in support of Urban Decay being cruelty free, if it’s parent is loreal how is that true?
Sickening to find out your being sold something that supports the opposite of what you want, and it’s big brands too. They are allowed to mislead the public, makes you wonder!
My friend bough Candy Coat gel polish subscription box and found the same, they advertise no animal testing though all the ingredients are tested on animals, rats and rabbits. When she found out she was so upset.
Animals are not here for this !!!x
This article has certainly been very enlightened to me. I had taken the statement “cruelty free” at face value (never even thinking of the ways the
Company Could get around that false “fact”.
Thanks for clarifying and for posting!
Hi Cruelty Free Kitty, I have made a new decision to stop using anything that tests on animals or support parent companies that do. I have also become a vegetarian and moving on to become a vegan….one step at a time. This a huge step in my life but very well worth it. I use AG hair products. They are on PETA but just found out they do sell in Taiwan. Does Taiwan have the same laws as China does about testing on animals? Thanks for any info you can provide. Houda
Hey Houda, congrats on making the switch! To answer your question, no, Taiwan doesn’t have the same animal testing laws. 🙂
Thank you!
Do you count the use of animal ingredients in making something not cruelty free?
Nothing made me angrier than to learn that the Body Shop, who sucked us all in by their big “Against Animal Testing” campaign was owned by L’Oreal. Gosh, I remember every girl in high school wore their damn t-shits, I refuse to shop there now.
Yep, Benefit tests on animals where required by law, which means they’re not cruelty-free. Even if they don’t perform the tests themselves, they pay others to perform these tests for them in order to sell in China.
If you don’t mind exploring the small-business/indie perfume range, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is cruelty-free, and aside from their honey-based scents, vegan as well. Their perfumes are in oil form, which is a nice option if you have a hard time tolerating the alcohol and fixatives in commercial perfumes. There’s also Sweet Anthem, which is currently on hiatus due to the owner’s maternity leave, and Arcana.
So sad, and so true!! Thank you for the post!! xo
Thanks Moxie! xx
Damn those little loopholes >:-(
I’ve been trying to purchase only cruelty free products and always check these lists for my information. I have bought cosmetics from Illamasqua in the past. I recently noticed that they now ship products to China and this has really concerned me that they are no longer cruelty free. Could anybody explain how they can be doing this and still be cruelty free or has their policy definitely changed?
Hi Helen! Fortunately companies can sell their products online to China without being subject to the mandatory animal testing laws. This is one way to bypass those regulations. I verified that Illamasqua doesn’t have any distributors or stores located in China.
Thanks very much for the reply and the information Suzi 🙂
Yesss, such a good point! Food labels are not any better!
Hi Stephanie! Tokyomilk is in that price range and they’re supposedly cruelty-free, although they dropped their application to the Leaping Bunny. I’m working on a perfume post though!
Why was the application dropped? That sounds a bit funky.
They just didn’t follow through and nobody knows why. : | I wrote a post about this a long time ago, so it’s definitely time for an update! I’ll do my best.
Fair enough. I’ok have to check that post out soon, and I look forward to the perfume post soon. I might check out Lush on Saturday to test some of their perfumes, because I’m on the hunt for a vanilla/warm spice type of scent.
Omg you’ll probably love Pacifica’s island vanilla scent then!
I’m looking into that one but getting a rollerball scent for close to $20 is a bit steep in my books. I’m hoping to visit one of their stockists in the city so I can see what they’re like. Another scent that I’m also interested in are orchids. I love me some orchids.
Have you found anything yet? 🙂