Trying to live healthy, be active, eat right, and care for the environment feels like a full time job sometimes. Most of the time I am not even paying attention to the products I'm consuming when focused on workouts and whatnot. Then I feel guilty for only focusing on using good products for myself and forgetting that Animal Testing is STILL a thing companies do.
So I asked the one girl I obsess over on Instagram @laurengodin for some tips to switching to cruelty free without throwing my life and routine upside down!
1. crueltyfreekitty.com
Visit www.crueltyfreekitty.com to check if the brands you're using are cruelty-free! Lo showed me this site and I check it all the time now, its a verified site that has great resources for finding cruelty free products at the stores you shop at! Yay internet!
2. Read your labels
Look for one of these logos on your labels! It takes two seconds when you are shopping to look for a cruelty-free logo from either The leaping Bunny, Caring Consumer, or CCF Rabbit run by amazing organizations!
There are SO many great products and brands that are cruelty-free! Check out one of Cruelty Free Kitty's ultimate guides to cruelty-free brands! (my faves include Pacifica, ABH, Glossier, & Colourpop)
3. Don't toss what you already have
Going straight to your vanity and tossing every single thing that is not labeled cruelty free right into the trash just makes the animals suffering fro literally nothing. Finish out the products you have, make a conscious note to either not support that company anymore or reach out to them saying how much you love their product but want them to be completely cruelty free so you'll still support them!
4. Recognize the difference
If you still are on the fence about switching your brands, and if you have the stomach for it, look up animals that have been tested on. Its actually horrific that animals are even tested on still in 2018, when there are a known 7,000 safe ingredients for companies to use in their products and we have the technology that is capable to test new ingredients without touching an animals skin. There is also a difference between a company saying they are cruelty free and being 100% cruelty free because their parent company can still test on animals, they may not test the final product but might still test all the ingredients on animals, or if they sell to China it is required by law that their products be tested by animals!
A breakdown of what animals are typically tested on courtesy of Cruelty Free Kitty
cosmetics= bunnies, guinea pigs, rats, & mice medical research= dogs, 67,772 dogs were used in research in the United States since 2013. neuro studies= cats, 24,221 cats were used in research in the United States. Disease tests= primates
5. Use your voice!
WE are the consumers. I think we often forget that companies and brands are there to serve our needs and wants in order to get our business so go ahead and reach out to companies you love and explain to them why you want them to go cruelty free, sign up for campaigns with PETA, be conscious and respectable, You're friends will listen to you over reading reviews for things so let them know exactly why and share the cruelty free brands you love!
A HUGE thank you to Lauren for always answering my questions about what to look for, recommending amazing brands, and always spreading the love, positivity and light on something we take for granted everyday!
