Animal testing is a cruel and outdated practice, used in the United States to test the safety of products and medication for humans since the 1930s. Some commonly performed tests include skin and eye irritation tests in which the animals are exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals, and lethal dose tests in which an animal is force-fed a dangerous chemical in order to determine the lethal dose. Organizations like PETA and ethical makeup and pharmaceutical companies have since made huge advances in ending this practice once and for all; many companies have turned to alternative testing techniques, such as testing on cell cultures, human volunteers, or computer models. But despite the countless petitions and the fact that cruelty-free alternatives exist, some of the largest and most influential cosmetics companies in the world continue to test their products on and potentially harm animals. Even worse, they acknowledge their use of animal testing on their own websites using vague enough wording that it can be difficult to tell whether they are cruelty-free, and continue to make millions of dollars off of naïve (or indifferent) consumers. The following five companies self-admittedly test on animals:

1. MAC Cosmetics

MAC Cosmetics is one of the most successful divisions of the $6.3 billion beauty company Estee Lauder, and has 1,000 stores worldwide. The company's website states that while they are "committed to making sure animal testing requirements are abolished worldwide," they are also "committed to selling [their] products in China," where animal testing is required by law. Says MAC, "because of requirements by law, our products or ingredients can be tested on animals in places like China. If we had our way alternatives would be accepted everywhere..."

2. CoverGirl

One of the most well-known makeup brands in the world, American company CoverGirl has been represented by a slew of famous spokespeople, from Ellen DeGeneres to Taylor Swift. CoverGirl is one of the largest companies in the United States to test on animals, and despite parent company Procter & Gamble's reported efforts to cut down on animal testing continues to use animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits, and mice in their research.

3. Maybelline

Even the world's leading cosmetics brand uses unethical practices when testing their products for safety. Maybelline, which is available in more than 120 countries, chooses to sell their products in China, meaning they are not cruelty-free due to China's animal testing requirements. Maybelline is owned by L'Oreal, a company that admits to testing on animals. However, this does not mean that Maybelline cannot change its animal testing policies; Urban Decay was acquired by L'Oreal in 2012 but remains cruelty-free.

4. stila

American cosmetics company Stila was proudly cruelty-free upon its creation by a mystery celebrity in 1994. However, as the company acknowledged in a string of tweets in October 2013, they now conduct animal testing in unkown countries (most likely China). The tweets read, "while Stila as a brand does not support nor test on animals ourselves, in order to bring Stila to new consumers... in foreign markets, there may be tests required by law to ensure the safety of our products. Thank you for your question."

5. Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown, a New York-based company also owned by beauty giant Estee Lauder, states under Frequently Asked Questions on its website that "the safety of their consumers is [their] highest priority" and that they test their products on animals "only where required by law."

For large cosmetics companies to continue selling their products in China where they will certainly be tested in inhumane ways exhibits not only the company higher-ups' greed and desire to grow the company no matter the cost, but also the shallow nature of their anti-cruelty claims. Rather than supporting these companies and their unethical practices by spending money on their products, buy your makeup from one of the PETA-approved cruelty-free companies on this list: http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/ultimate-guide-to-...