Cruelty-free is a label used for activities and products that are not harmful to animals. Cruelty-free products are made to be health-friendly before they’re distributed to the markets.
Due to rising health concerns, the cruelty-free cosmetics market in the world was estimated to be worth approximately US$10 billion in 2014. The same market grew at about 6% from 2014 to 2019.
There’s a need for research and innovations to facilitate the development of newer, cruelty-free products. Cosmetics is among essential products that should be made cruelty-free.
What’s more, the Perfect365 virtual beauty app reveal that 36% of women prefer cosmetic products that are cruelty-free.
15,000 women took part in a study to determine the benefits of cruelty-free cosmetics. The study aimed at finding out if the women would continue using beauty brands tested on animals or not. About 43% of the women stated that they would stop using such products.
You need to be cautious when shopping, especially if you prefer cruelty free products. Various factors can help guide your buying process.
One of the simplest ways to know whether the products you’re about to pick are cruelty-free, is to check if they have a Leaping Bunny or the PETA’s bunny logo. Here’re a few factors to consider when looking cruelty-free products:
- Make sure you can identify the leaping bunny certification logo
- Be critical in your inspection
- Look for reliable information about the brands you want to buy their products
- Create things on your own to make sure they’re cruelty-free
- Contact the company offering your favorite products
- Beware of new ingredients in products
6 Tips to Choosing Cruelty-Free Products in the Market
Make sure you can identify the leaping bunny
The leaping bunny label is one of the best ways to know if a product is cruelty-free. The Leaping Bunny is a certification that imposes strict rules on companies to make sure they produce cruelty-free products.
Be critical in your inspection
If you want products that are indeed cruelty-free, inspect them critically and keenly. Don’t trust a label blindly because there are lots of tricksters out there.
Don’t buy products with incomplete cruelty free claims. If something doesn’t seem right, it’s likely it isn’t cruelty-free. Be cautious about the cruelty-free claims on products.
Look for reliable information about the brands you want to buy their products
The online platform has provided an easy way to access any information that you might need. Conduct your research online and search if the products you’re planning to buy are truly cruelty-free.
Also make sure that your sources are reliable, authoritative and authentic. If, in your searches, you find conflicting information about a product, think twice about trusting it.
Create things on your own to make sure they’re cruelty-free
If you’re uncertain of the cruelty-free claims that companies make on their products, go DIY. Creating things on your own is a sure way to guarantee that they’re cruelty-free.
There are lots of DIY things you can create to ensure first-hand that they’re cruelty-free. This is a great way to save the planet. Some homemade DIY cruelty-free toiletries you can make include:
- Toothpaste – stir water and a few drops of peppermint or spearmint.
- Shampoo – made using a paste of baking soda, tea tree oil, and water. You can add essential oils to enhance the smell.
- Moisturizers and exfoliating scrubs – mix olive oil, tea tree oil, and brown sugar. You can also use coconut oil as a moisturizer.
- Makeup remover – use coconut oil as a makeup remover.
- Deodorant – pat a little sodium bicarbonate onto your skin and under your armpits.
If you opt for a DIY solution, you’ll need the right ingredients, tools and materials to prepare your cruelty-free products. When making items from metals and wood, you’ll need welding equipment and power tools, respectively.
Opt for MIG welders of great quality if you’ll be working with metals to produce cruelty-free items. Make sure you work on your budget, choosing under $500 welders to keep your costs low.
Contact the company offering your favorite products
If there’s no reliable information on the internet about a product’s cruelty-free status, contact the company behind it for additional information.
Look for the company’s contacts on their official website and email or call them. Be specific with your question and let the company give you a straightforward answer.
Beware of new ingredients in products
New ingredients are usually not safety-proven, hence need to be tested before being used. Most of the tests are done on animals, meaning that “new and improved” products are hardly cruelty-free.
Before buying any product labeled “new and improved,” do a thorough research on the product before buying it. However, new products can still be made cruelty-free.
Conclusion
With the rising number of manufacturing industries, a lot of products are manufactured daily. Some of these products are made using chemicals that are first tested on animals before being sold to consumers.
However, such products aren’t ethical. Whenever you go shopping, only pick products that are cruelty-free. Use the tips above in your selection.