I
have struggled with whether or not to post about this for a long time. It's
probably been over a year now. Mentioning that you are trying to go
cruelty-free can create a lot of drama online, and I just didn't have the heart
to deal with it. I'm still not sure if I have the heart to deal with it, but
I'm going to take the leap and say it:
I'm
trying to go cruelty-free.
If
you aren't well informed on this issue, you may be wondering why this would
cause drama. It sounds like a good thing, so what's the problem?
The
first problem is the one that, in a sense, creates all of the other problems.
Here in the U.S., there is no regulation regarding companies labeling
themselves as cruelty-free. Anyone can create their own bunny logo and stick it
on their products and claim that they don't test their products on animals.
Quite a few brands claim to be cruelty-free because they themselves do not test
their products on animals; however, their suppliers may test the ingredients on
animals or they might have outside testing done on their products.
The
next problem is that there are varying degrees and opinions on what makes a
brand cruelty-free. Some people just use the PETA cruelty-free list to
determine what is cruelty-free and what isn't. A lot of people though believe
that list is really inaccurate and prefer to use other lists - none of which
match each other exactly. Some people refuse to buy from brands that are
cruelty-free but are owned by a parent company that is not, like Urban Decay or
Burt's Bees.They believe that by buying from that brand, the profits indirectly support testing since they go back to the parent company. Other people believe that by supporting the brands that are cruelty-free, even if their parent company is not, shows support for those brands and sends a message to the parent company that cruelty-free brands are in-demand.
Then
there's the issue of China. China REQUIRES testing on products imported into their country, essentially taking any brand that sells in China
off of cruelty-free lists. Even in that instance there is some gray area. For
example, Sephora's own brand has multiple lines. Some of those lines are sold
in China and other's are not. Is it okay to buy from the lines that aren't sold
in China or should the whole brand be off-limits?
Now
you've tried to become a detective to figure out what standards a given brand
is working with AND you've had to make some tough decisions about where you
stand on those gray areas. Then you add the complication of the internet. I
don't know how many times I've seen well-intentioned people get attacked
through comments because they accidentally did a cruelty-free post or video about a
brand that isn't actually cruelty-free (or at least isn't under the commenter's
standards). Other people get defensive and start attacking you if you claim to
be cruelty-free but you aren't vegan or you wear leather products. I've also
been annoyed by people who get an attitude over those who try to go
cruelty-free but slip-up and buy a non-cruelty free item because they didn't
know the brand wasn't cruelty-free or because an item was just too tempting to
pass up (I'll admit, I caved recently and picked up a couple of Chapstick balms
because they were cupcake and red velvet cake flavored). I figure an imperfect
attempt at doing something good is better than no attempt at all.
It's
a lot to take in, digest, and decide whether you want to put that information
on the table and open yourself up for attack. Now that I've let the barricades
down, here's where I'm at in my journey and my current stance on trying to go
cruelty-free:
I
am still using products that were already in my stash that are not
cruelty-free.
I am avoiding brands that by general consensus are not cruelty-free (L'Oreal,
Cover Girl, etc...).I am still buying from brands that are cruelty-free but are owned by parent companies that are not (Urban Decay, Burt's Bees).
I am not buying from brands that sell in China.
I will still buy value sets at places like Sephora that have products from a variety of brands as long as the majority of the brands are cruelty-free .
I am not vegan, so I don't plan on restricting myself to vegan products.
One issue that I'm currently struggling with is that I have a few brand new products (both full size and deluxe samples) made by companies that are not cruelty-free. I currently have them in my giveaway basket because they are not products I would use. Is it still okay for me to put them in a giveaway, or should I just add them to my blog sale?
Are
there any major points that I forgot to address?
What
is your stance on the cruelty-free issue? I love reading and hearing about
other's opinions on this issue as long as they are given respectfully. Any comments that are not respectful will be deleted.
