Do you know what's in your body wash? What about your makeup? You've probably been using the same products for years without knowing what ingredients are really in them.
How often do you research what's in a product before you go out and buy it? Probably never. But, it's something you should be doing. The ingredients in your makeup, body wash, hair care, skin care, hair dye, lotions and moisturizers, and even your toothpaste and deodorant can be harmful.
When you look at the back of your personal care products, it's pretty likely that you won't understand what half of the ingredients mean. You'll probably see a mix of ingredients you can recognize, like fragrance and color dyes, but the rest are just words you haven't heard since your high school chemistry class.
When you research some of the most common ingredients found in these products, you'll be surprised to find out what they are and wonder how they're even allowed to be included in products. You'll find not only animal ingredients, but chemicals that can possibly be carcinogens.
These are ingredients that are not only harmful to you, but to animals as well. And guess what? Many of these ingredients are tested on animals to discover if there may be any harmful effects for humans.
The International Humane Society predicts that 100,000-200,000 animals every year unnecessarily go through cosmetic testing. This is mainly because companies are always developing new ingredients, which they claim are unsafe to test on humans, so they resort to testing on animals.
Many large companies that sell personal care products use animal testing (yes, animal testing is still a huge thing in cosmetics) and animal byproduct in their products. But, many companies still won't come clean about it.
Here is a list of brands that have admitted to testing. Take a second to look at it. You're definitely going to recognize some of these items, and you probably even buy some of them on the regular.
You're not going to find just personal care products on this list. You'll be surprised to find that some cleaning, laundry and household products are tested on animals. This is because many of these brands are owned by the same major corporations. According to the list, some of these major corporations (that you might be familiar with) are Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, S.C. Johnson, Clorox, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever. It's important to note that not all brands under these companies test.
In the European Union, Israel, India, Sao Paulo, New Zealand (and soon in Australia), selling products that are tested on animals is illegal. But, as of now, it's perfectly legal here in the United States. A federal bill to ban cosmetic testing was introduced last year, but has not had any action since then and would only effectively ban testing cosmetics. But, that isn't to say that we aren't making any progress. President Obama recently signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act into law, which will begin to help limit animal testing.
So, how can you avoid buying products that might be harmful to you and animals? One of the best ways is to buy vegan products.
Even if you aren't a vegan, you can still make the switch to vegan or cruelty-free products. Yes, there is a difference between vegan and cruelty-free. Cruelty-free brands don't test, but their products can still contain animal ingredients. Vegan brands don't have any animal ingredients in them and they also don't test on animals.
One of the easiest products to switch is makeup. There are many vegan and cruelty-free makeup brands and even some drugstore makeup products are vegan. Ingredients you should avoid in makeup are beeswax and parabens. Vegan makeup products are also better for sensitive skin.
Also switch to a vegan brand for the best hair care. There are many ingredients you'll want to avoid in regular shampoos. Some of these ingredients can cause dryness, irritation and even hair loss. Switch to a brand that doesn't use sulfates, sodium chloride or parabens.
You'll also want to watch for home, pet and cleaning products as well. Many companies owned by the Clorox Company have admitted to testing on animals, like Clorox bleach, Glad, Fresh Step, Scoop Away, Pine-Sol and Green Works. Some other popular brands that have admitted to testing include Febreze, Glade, Lysol, Pledge, Swiffer and Windex.
The hardest part about switching to a vegan or cruelty-free brand is avoiding the temptation that you're going to see everywhere. When you go to the store, you can't just pick up whatever product looks good to you. You're going to have to pay attention to the ingredients and avoid certain brands altogether. You'll see the advertisements for brands that test everywhere you go. When you see the commercials on TV, you'll have to tune them out.
Another temptation you'll have to resist is price. One thing you should be aware of when buying products that are vegan is that they tend to cost more. This is because the ingredients that they use are more expensive in comparison to the products that use harmful chemicals and animal ingredients that are low in price.
However, this doesn't mean that every product that is vegan is going to be expensive. You can still find inexpensive everyday products, like drugstore makeup, laundry detergent and cleaning products, that are vegan. You won't have to stop shopping at the stores you regularly shop at, you'll just need to be more careful of what you buy.
When you see the list of brands that are still testing and using animal product, you might think that it may be nearly impossible for you to switch. But, there are plenty of brands and products that do not test or contain animal product.
There are many blogs online that will help you decide which products you should avoid and which ones you should buy. Cruelty Free Kitty has their own list of brands that do and don't test along with many other helpful resources. Vegan Beauty Review tries out vegan products and provides a review.
