According to peta.org (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), in just one year alone, millions of animals are abused and/or killed as a result of enduring scientific testing for household and beauty products. There are no laws in the United States that force companies to use animal testing prior to putting their product on the market, yet many manufacturers choose to do it anyway. Animal activists also claim that even though some species may respond during testing, that does not prove that humans will react in the same way. These helpless creatures do not consent to scientific testing for beauty or any product.

“In an effort to measure toxic effects, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other animals are forced to swallow or inhale massive quantities of a test substance or have a chemical smeared in their eyes or on their skin. It is now evident that tests on animals often do not predict outcomes in humans…” (via peta.org)

With great quality, drugstore and high-end makeup brands, it really is easier than you think to make the switch to cruelty-free products. If we stop buying and start voicing our concern, manufacturers will ultimately have to stop testing on animals. I recently bought my mother a Lipstick Queen red lipstick. The manufacturer states that it is animal cruelty free. It does not test on animals, does not use animal-derived ingredients other than beeswax (bees are not harmed in obtaining the wax), and the product is gluten free. It looks great, and she loves it!

I have compiled a list of makeup brands below cited by Peta as brands that test on animals. My intention is to make you aware when purchasing products.

Here are just a few popular brands that do test on animals:

Almay (Revlon)

Estee Lauder

Avon Products, Inc.

Benefit Cosmetics

Bobbi Brown

Clinique

Calvin Klein Cosmetics

Dove

GLAMGLOW

L'Oreal USA

Lancòme

M.A.C. Cosmetics

Maybelline

Mary Kay

Sephora Cosmetics

Stila Cosmetics

Tom Ford

For the full list, please go to peta.org. Keep in mind that if you do not see a brand on the full list of “brands that do test on animals,” and it is also not found of the list of “brands that do not test on animals,” the company most likely did not wish to respond on this issue.

Now, if you’re looking for brands that do not test on animals, here are a few:

Side note: (v) next to brand name means it is also vegan!

Afterglow Cosmetics

Anastasia Beverly Hills

AYA Cosmetics (v)

BareFace Cosmetics (v)

Body Essence

Cheeky Cosmetics (v)

Chi Chi Cosmetics

ColourPop Cosmetics

E.L.F. Cosmetics

IT Cosmetics

Kat Von D Beauty

LUSH Cosmetics

Marc Jacobs Beauty

Milani Cosmetics

NYX Los Angeles Inc.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Inc. (v)

Physicians Formula

Prestige Cosmetics

Purminerals

Real Techniques

Smashbox Cosmetics

Sugarpill Cosmetics

Too Faced Cosmetics

Urban Decay

Wet n wild

For a complete list, please go to peta.org. The brands above offer products that are worth the purchase. My absolute favorite brand is NYX cosmetics. They are an extremely affordable and fantastic quality option for makeup lovers of of all skin colors and skin types (every NYX concealer I have ever tried has been amazing!). In addition, Real Techniques has wonderful and affordable tools for makeup application. All of my brushes are from this brand, including makeup sponges (dupe for the Beauty Blender). The Smashbox Photofinish Primer is amazing as well. It’s a little on the pricey side, but a little goes a long way and it’s worth the extra few dollars.

If you’re looking to save animals from being abused and want to make some changes in your beauty routine, there are so many alternatives.