Recently, I made a lifestyle change – I became a vegetarian*! It’s been almost 2 months and it’s seriously the best thing I ever did. Other than the many health benefits, the main reason was that I love animals too much. Growing up I’ve always loved animals (my friend and I had an “animal lovers” club and our very own animal magazine!), and while I’ve always been against fur and support animal rights, I never really was aware of what beauty companies still test on animals.
I was only aware that Unilever did (Dove, Sunsilk) so I avoided those products. It was only until someone (thanks, Tammy!) commented on my a mascara review that L’Oreal tested on animals, I was gobsmacked – I honestly had no idea. Also, I really don’t know why I didn’t post about this topic earlier, because I have written a post about this on my old blog.
“Consumers are shocked to learn that millions of animals each year are injected with or forced to inhale or ingest cosmetics. Those animals live in fear and loneliness every minute of their lives,” says Erin Edwards, media liaison for animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Unfortunately, it seems every major beauty company does test on animals. However, as you can see from my list, there are a lot of GREAT beauty companies that I encourage you to support. I also added a list of brands that do test on animals, so if this is important to you, there are quite a few to avoid. (The list is an image so you can save it and share it around!)
Practices such as squirting products into their eyes, pumping it into their bodies or forcing them to inhale sprays are just some of the horrible things these poor animals have to go through. And in our scientifically advanced world, there really is no need to test on animals – especially for cosmetics. I am so happy that the brands that I have supported for many years are against animal testing, and personally will only be buying cruelty free products, now that I am aware of what to avoid!
I know that this is an issue not everyone supports, so I won’t force my beliefs down your throat! Still, I really hope this post will make you think twice about animal testing and encourage you that if you can, try to opt for products that have not been tested on animals, because it’s unnecessary cruelty.
Are you against animal testing? If you want to educate yourself more on this issue, you can find more info on animal testing in cosmetic companies here.
*As of September 18th 2011, I am no longer a vegetarian.
What does this mean for Beauty Fool? Some of you may wonder that if I say that animal testing is bad, why am I still featuring brands that test on my blog? Which is fair to ask, and I think it’s right to bring it up. The thing is, like I said in my post, not everyone agrees that animal testing is wrong. For example, one of my good friends said she would rather they be tested on animals than on humans. This is fine – I don’t agree with it, but that’s her opinion. So for Beauty Fool, if I am sent products from brands that test on animals to review, I will still review them (if they are good enough for a review) and post my honest opinions (as always) for those who do not mind if it’s been tested on animals. However, I will personally never purchase from any brand that tests on animals and support what they do.
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I relaxed by the pool and the beach by day and by night went for big dinners and ate ’til I passed out. Oh and OMG, Thai food is amazing! I mean, the first thing we did when we got to the hotel was to order room service. HEAVENLY.
