As of November 5, 2018, COVERGIRL has become the biggest company in the makeup industry to be certified cruelty free... ever. In the official announcement on the COVERGIRL Instagram page, the brand wrote that "At COVERGIRL, we believe that you shouldn't have to choose between the beauty products you [love] and the values you believe in." This is something all brands should be looking into.

See also: Covergirl's Cruelty-Free Efforts Are Better Late Than Never.

COVERGIRL has not only achieved what is considered the gold standard of cruelty-free certifications, i.e. the leaping bunny, but they've also been added to Logical Harmony's list of cruelty-free brands--a milestone that is possibly even more significant in the eyes of many cruelty-free makeup lovers, including myself.

What does it mean to be Leaping Bunny Certified?

Leaping Bunny certification comes via Cruelty-Free International. According to CFI, "Leaping Bunny is an internationally-recognized certification for cosmetics, personal care and household product brands which are not tested on animals. Companies are subject to independent audit of their entire supply-chain monitoring system to check they meet the strict Leaping Bunny criteria."

Leaping Bunny certifications are revisited every year with CFI to make sure each brand and company is maintaining their commitment to the emblem decorating hundreds of makeup products. It is not a one-time deal--it is ongoing, continuous, and makes sure that the Leaping Bunny is not representing brands or products that have any ingredients or products that are tested on animals.

Why is it a big deal to be on Logical Harmony?

Logical Harmony, though not as official as the Leaping Bunny or any other cruelty-free certification process, requires a lot of criteria in order to be placed onto their Cruelty-Free Brands List and each addition requires a process.

Prior to adding a brand to her list, Tashina--the creator and face of Logical Harmony--will reach out to brands, ask them a series of questions, whether through email, phone call, or meeting, and sometimes through several emails/calls, and use their answers to determine whether the brand is cruelty free using the Logical Harmony standards. Other times, brands can reach out to her with information about their company and their position in the company, and then they will have some form of interview with Tashina before she will determine if they can go on her list, which she updates every single week.

Logical Harmony considers a brand cruelty free if that brand "is not testing on animals, does not use any ingredients that have been tested on animals, and is not testing on animals when required by law. A brand can be cruelty-free and still use animal ingredients."

After Logical Harmony had a few conversations with COVERGIRL Representatives, the brand is cruelty-free per the LH standards and the Cruelty-Free International standards.

COVERGIRL has proven that even as a huge brand that is available to everyone with its low price point and accessibility at stores like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Target, etc., any brand can go cruelty-free.

Coty, COVERGIRL's parent company, says that "this is a positive step forward as more people can afford, find and enjoy beautiful makeup with the assurance that they are cruelty-free," and I think that is a powerful notion.

As a strictly cruelty-free makeup customer myself, I look forward to having one more safe place at the drugstore when I buy makeup. I can expand beyond Wet n Wild, ELF Cosmetics, and Physicians Formula (to name a few of the most readily stocked/available at stores near me), and now I get to look at COVERGIRL. That's a big deal.