Cosmetics and Toiletries: testing of products and ingredients on animals was banned in the UK in 1998. There are cosmetics on sale, that have been tested on animals, which have came from tests done outside the UK. From March, 2013 no new cosmetic products that have ingredients which have been tested on animals, have been allowed to be sold within the EU.
According to PETA in 2015 brands such as L’Oreal, Olay, Revlon and Clarins were all guilty of testing their products abroad. L’Oreal, Revlon and Olay state they do not test on animals anywhere in the world without proviso! Except when required by law. Companies who sell in China for instance are required to animal test by law. Cruelty free products carry the ‘Leaping Bunny’ logo which is also known as the ‘Humane Cosmetic Standard’ (HCS) and ‘Humane Household Products Standard’ (HHPS). You can buy items in the UK that display the ‘Leaping Bunny’ logo with ‘BUAV approved’ added.
The BUAV provide a free pocket guide, ‘The Little Book of Cruelty Free’ which lists cruelty free companies. Visit their website at www.buav.org or for details of their spin off website at www.gocrueltyfree.org or consult the lists on the Leaping Bunny at www.leapingbunny.org. The Leaping Bunny is the only globally recognised guarantee, that a brand has made a genuine commitment to ending animal testing. With over 600 brands including many big names, it is easy to find cosmetics and cleaning products. PETA also provides cruelty free companies on their website at www.peta.org. When a product says it contains no animal ingredients that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been tested on animals or it might say the product has not been tested on animals, but the ingredients might have been. Ask if you are unsure. Companies policies make a difference towards stamping out animal testing.
Top high street brands like Lush hasn’t endorsed the Leaping Bunny Scheme but it has its own very strict cruelty-free criteria and is one of the most ethical high street retailers, as of course is the Body Shop, who has made cruelty free products attractive. Cosmetics which are not tested on animals, are not necessarily more expensive to buy, because they don’t need laboratories, researchers and special equipment. Some discount stores and supermarkets’ own brands are cruelty free, and also carry the Leaping Bunny logo.
There are lots of online stores to buy from too (e-bay). Altering your buying habits will reduce the economic support for the exploitation of animals. Cosmetics containing animal ingredients such as keratin, lanolin and beeswax are not suitable for vegans. Glycerine comes from animal fat and is used in soaps, toothpastes and some cosmetics, but you can get vegetable glycerine from coconut and palm oils.
Collagen is usually from fish (can get synthetic) and cochineal (crushed insects produce a red/pink colour) is found in cosmetics. Cosmetics and perfumes are often made from wild animals like musk deer and the civic cat. Make- up brushes and applicators can be made of animal hair or fur. Horse and squirrel hair, mink, badger and sable fur are commonly used. Many companies, like Superdrug and the Co-op label their vegan-friendly products. Check for the ‘V’ for vegetarian or vegan symbol.
Micro-bead free products: these plastic pellets are found in a significant number of personal care, cosmetic and household products, sometimes added as an abrasion in body/facial scrubs, shower gel, shaving foam or for decoration such as ‘sparkles’ in toothpaste. They are non bio-gradable and less than a mm wide, so bypass the water filters and travel out to sea, where they are ingested by fish. We don’t know what this impact will have on the food chain. Some high street retailers are removing them from their own brands.
Household products: washing powders, air-fresheners, toilet cleaners and furniture polish are usually tested on animals. Look up cruelty free companies at http://www.gocrueltyfree.org site. The Co-op, M&S and Waitrose have their own brand of cruelty free cleaning products. All the major supermarkets sell Ecover products.
Botox: is a toxin used to reduce fine lines and wrinkles by temporarily paralysing the muscles. Despite the EU ban on the manufacture and import of cosmetics that have been tested on animals, Botox products are not included because they are injected and not applied to the skin (definition of a cosmetic). Also companies manage to bypass the ban because it has medical uses too, and there is no distinction made between batches for pharmaceutical use or the cosmetic sector. For each batch of Botox, in order to determine a safe dose for human use, 100 mice are injected into their abdomens. Many of them suffer from paralysis, impaired vision and respiratory distress, and after a few days die of suffocation.
Christians Caring For Gods Creatures 