Skip to main content

Animal Friendly Beauty Products & Animal Cruelty In The Beauty Business

There was a time when virtually all beauty products contained some type of animal fat or oils. Dangerous chemicals were also tested on animals to determine the safety of that chemical on human subjects. We saw shocking images of animals in laboratories and this made us sit up and think. Nowadays, scientists have found cruelty-free ways to produce beauty products that are effective and pleasant to use. As more and more people came to realize that animals' lives should be respected as living and breathing creatures, studies were performed on these products that proved animal fats and oils were not necessary to create effective beauty products. These fats and oils were replaced by products such as plant-based oils, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients. The findings were that some of these ingredients were in fact, more effective than animal fats and oils! Not only that, they were much more pleasant to use and we could use them without conscience.

Dermatologists and scientists found that products made with plant-based ingredients were less greasy and absorbed into the skin better than the product with animal-based ingredients. They were often less likely to cause break-outs and the skin was able to breathe better. As great as these benefits are, there is still an even greater benefit in that the lives of many animals can be spared.

Not all beauty products are animal cruelty-free, even today. Some companies still test their ingredients on animals as well. Depending on where the products are manufactured, local laws may not require that the products not test animals or use their oils and fats. If you care about helpless animals, make sure that the beauty products that you buy says "no animal testing" or "cruelty-free" on the package or the ‘leaping bunny’ logo is also a sure sign the product has not been tested on animals.


Another issue is that there are more animals that people eat, unfortunately the by- products of this are cheaper and easier to get hold of than plant based products even though they are no better in quality.

When you go to buy a new lipstick or moisturiser do you look at the label or even think if it has been tested on animals? Maybe you consider the nice packaging and consider if it suits your skin tone, but do you consider whether an animal has suffered for this lipstick for example? There are many more companies who offer vegan, cruelty free beauty care so you can have a choice and make your voice heard. If you are against animal testing, don’t but products tested on animals-simple. Thankfully cruelty free products are growing in popularity.

Most companies are now trying to create products that do not test animals or use their parts. As companies become more aware of the pain and torture lab animals suffer for the sake of beauty, they are actively trying to launch products that are cruelty-free. There is massive consumer power and as more of us realise what happens to these animals there is much more pressure to use other ways of testing cosmetics without using animals.

Also, in 2013 there is going to be a ban on any marketing of cosmetics that have been tested on animals across Europe, which is a massive advancement. Also, there are a lot of companies such as Marks and Spencer, Lush, The Bodyshop and Superdrug who are not testing their products on animals. Maybe one day using animals for this will be banned all together.



So, as cruelty free products rise in growth and popularity it is down to us as consumers to decide what products we want to use. So next time you are buying skin care or cosmetics please try and use animal friendly products. Look beautiful with a clear conscience. Make your voice heard!

(Guest Post by Catherine Howarth)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Highly Effective Indian Home remedies For Delayed Periods

Delayed periods or Irregular menstrual periods have become very common these days for a lot of women in their reproductive age and they suffer great agonies when their period does not come on time. A delay of 4-5 days may be fine but if it exceeds 8 days, then it's certainly a cause for concern. In this post, I'll be sharing highly effective Indian home remedies for your delayed periods . I'd been a long sufferer of irregular periods during my teenage to early twenties. I've tried most of the recipes here, along with Kapalabhati pranayama, yoga poses, mudras and other lifestyle habits. Now my periods are extremely regular like clockwork; not a day less or more than 28. When I look back, I'm surprised how I managed those years of anxiety and fear about my late periods. 

Pore shrinking mask recipes from home

A face with large open pores when seen from close quarters doesn’t look so good. While it’s quite common for oily skins to have a tendency towards open pores, an attack of pimples also leaves ugly scars and open pores behind.  Even though the scars may fade away after some time, open pores appear to be more obstinate and hardly show any signs of shrinking.  Age also takes its toll by giving an uneven/pigmented tone to the skin and making the open pores more prominent. Heredity could also be a contributing factor in determining your pore size. It’s not easy to get rid of these pores or shrink them completely or permanently using serums, lotions or face packs. Even resorting to drastic chemical/surgical procedures at the dermatologist’s isn’t quite capable of giving satisfactory results.  Nevertheless, you can try and minimize their appearance at least temporarily with clever makeup and a few natural skin care masks such as these: * Cleanse your face with a mild ...

Home remedies for sleeplessness

The day dawns beautifully for those who have had a night of good sleep. But the same day drags on for those who have spent a disturbing, sleepless night. Sleep is a biological necessity even as eating and drinking are. Sufficient sleep renders a person normally sociable, lively and high-spirited. It’s a nature’s way of rejuvenating the person for the next day. Realize all this, and make sleep a physiological habit. The consequences of long time sleep deprivation can be very grave. Lack of sleep takes its toll on the skin and hair. It causes acne-breakouts and makes one look aged and haggard beyond years. Experts opine that during sleep as our metabolic rate falls, blood goes to those areas which need the most repairing. This also steps up the production of collagen and keratin, which aid the regeneration of skin cells and help resist premature ageing. So for a younger looking and a problem free skin you need to have a good quality of sleep every night.

Aspirin for acne-prone skin

Aspirin has been around for a long time and its health benefits are wide and varied. Aspirin , or acetylsalicylic acid is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains , as an antipyretic to reduce fever , and as an anti-inflammatory medication. Aspirin's greatest benefit is reducing cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes. According to the American Heart Assoc. virtually all women are at risk of heart disease and doctors should more strongly consider prescribing a daily aspirin for their female patients. There is growing evidence to suggest regular aspirin use may reduce cancer and dementia as well. Investigators from the Women's Health Study have reported important new findings demonstrating that aspirin reduces the risk of a first stroke in women. When given to someone immediately after a heart attack, aspirin decreases death by 25%.

Kapalabhati Pranayam for wrinkle-free, radiant complexion

Did you know that Kapalabhati Pranayam / kriya can also be used to enhance your beauty and ward off skin aging? Done the right way,  Kapalabhati Pranayam can be used as a beauty aid - it can give you a wrinkle-free, luminous forehead and radiant complexion. Kapalabhati For Beauty   ‘Kapalabhati’ Pranayam breathing exercise is an excellent way of maintaining good health and fighting diseases. ‘Kapala’ means ‘skull’ (and ‘forehead’ also) and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining’. By doing kapalabhati, the ‘nadis’(nerves) of the brain get good exercise. This is achieved by exercising the diaphragm. There will be a glow on the forehead. After the age of 25, the tell-tale signs of ageing start making their appearance in the form of fine lines on the forehead. A regular practice of Kapalabhati for 10-15 minutes everyday will give you a tight forehead sans wrinkles for many years to come. Avoid Botox, try Kapalabhati Why resort to Botox   and other expensive chemical or surgica...