Don’t Buy Another Lipstick Until You Read This

By on July 17, 2014
deadly-lipstick

Animal lovers all over the world regularly make conscious, informed decisions to better the lives and welfare of animals. From becoming a vegetarian or vegan to refusing to wear leather and fur, there are so many ways that we can make a statement about animal welfare.

Yet animal cruelty is still more wide spread than ever and big companies who are out to make big money do their best to hide the truth from consumers so we’ll continue to purchase their products.

For instance, consumers are often led to believe that their favorite cosmetic products are produced in a cruelty-free procedure that does not involve animal testing. However, there are some dark secrets hidden beneath the surface of these statements that you may not have ever thought of.

A lot of companies have found loopholes that allow them to appear to care about animal welfare when they really do not. What you think is a cruelty-free lipstick might actually be made by a company that does indeed test on animals in some way or form.

Here are five things you may not have known about your lipstick, or other makeup and cosmetic products, that will make you think twice before you buy that item again.

chemical-lipstick

1. Cruelty-free promises are not always true.

Some makeup brands can legitimately claim they do not test their products on animals even though their parent company does test other brands on animals. This is true of a few big name brands like L’Oreal and Proctor & Gamble.

Many of us are aware that these household names have been notorious for animal testing but we still might be unknowingly purchasing some of their sub-brands, such as Proctor & Gamble’s Max Factor makeup. In other words, eEven if the makeup itself were not tested on animals, do you really want to support the parent company that does?

2. Some companies are underhanded.

Further, some companies who insist that they do not test any of their products or ingredients on animals actually pay other companies to do the testing for them. In this way, they can legally state they have not done animal testing, yet their products are actually still tested on animals.

Think twice before believing what a big cosmetic company says. Have they simply worded their promise in such a way that makes it sound like they are cruelty-free when in actuality they pay someone else to do their dirty work for them?

3. A single ingredient might be tested on animals.

You should also be aware that a lot of companies that claim they are not testing their products on animals, and do not pay others to do so, actually still use ethically questionable ingredients. For instance, you may not be aware that an ingredient that has been tested on animals to ensure its safety to humans can easily be used in a lipstick produced by a company that does not actually test the lipstick itself on animals.

Try to find out where a makeup’s ingredients are sourced before you purchase the item to ensure that nothing in it was tested on animals. This is the only way to ensure that the product is truly cruelty-free.

4. Animals suffer during testing procedures.

Many people will try to tell you that it’s okay to test products on animals because they are not harmed. This is far from the truth. Animals undergo extreme pain and emotional trauma when certain cosmetic products are tested on their skin, hair and eyes. Ingredients are sometimes injected into animals or fed to them to see what kind of results occurs.
In short, when we buy cosmetic products from companies who test on animals, these animals are poisoned daily for the sake of our vanity. They are not even given any medicine or anesthesia for their pain.

5. Animal testing involves domestic animals.

Some people seem to think that only wild mice or wild rats are used for animal testing. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Many laboratories host domesticated animals for testing too, including guinea pigs, rabbits and even dogs.

Think about it, would you want someone to test a chemical on your pet? Definitely not! So why would you buy products that support this kind of procedure on other animals that might otherwise have lived happy lives as someone else’s pets?

So, if you really want to make a difference in animal rights and animal welfare, definitely research the makeup companies you purchase from before buying your next lipstick, nail polish, eyeliner or any other cosmetic product. You just might be surprised by what you learn.

What brand cosmetics do you use?

About Dean Iodice