Cruelty-Free Cosmetics and Products for Face and Body

We make choices every day that affect the world around us.  When we opt to boycott products, we are telling big corporations that we do not approve of their practices.  Sacrificing our values for the latest tube of lipstick or overpriced moisturizer is a thing of the past. 

Say hello to the wonderful world of cruelty-free, all natural and organic products!  Today, there are myriad all-natural, botanical options that have not been tested on animals and do not include any animal by-products.  After my bout with breast cancer, I became hyper-aware of the ingredients I was putting on my face and body. I began flipping over each product in my bathroom and cosmetics case to read the ingredients, and to my surprise, wound up tossing out just about every product I owned! I was horrified to discover that a major cosmetics company, whose makeup I’d loved and used for years, had the words, "Final product not tested on animals", on the container. I’d never noticed that before. My interpretation of this disclaimer’ ’Tested on animals during product development; not on finished product.’ This just isn’t good enough for me. "Not tested on animals," to me, means, "Not tested on animals. At any time. In any way. Ever."  I’ve since switched to Josie Maran, Nvey and Korres cosmetics, and Dr. Alkaitis (whose motto is, "If you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin.") cleansers and moisturizers. I’ve become a huge fan of SaffronRouge.com, a wonderful company with exceptional customer service that only carries products that I know I can trust. Their customer service folks really know their products, too! Love that!

One thing to be wary of is companies that use the word, "organics" in their company or product name, and companies that loosely throw around the term, ’natural.’ I’m not naming any names, but there are a number of lines on the market that use one or both terms on their labels. Yet, if you flip over the bottle, you’ll find that not only are there NO organic ingredients whatsoever in the supposedly ‘organic’ product, but there are a few that even contain parabens, synthetics and worse. There are a few pet products that do this very same thing. My philosophy is this: Just Be Honest. If your product is an all-natural product, call it an all-natural product. If your product uses primarily organic ingredients, then, be my guest’ call it organic. But if you’re abusing the word to trick customers, you are displaying a lack of integrity. And, that, to me, is a big, fat no-no. In a similar vein, if your product contains questionable ingredients, just be honest about it! Some individuals really don’t care about product ingredients anyway. But at least you’re being HONEST.

Proving that looking great does not have to cost a fortune or compromise your ethics, the following list of companies sell products that are worth checking out:

Kiss My Face: With a number of options to choose from, you can feel good about the company’s line of cosmetics, body moisturizers, mouthwashes, and deodorants which contain no artificial colors, no unnecessary chemicals, or animal ingredients.  Their goals include providing reasonably priced products that are good for you and good for the environment.

Eco Tools: Actress and Animal Rights Activist Alicia Silverstone’s line of earth-friendly makeup tools and bath and body products are created by Paris Presents, a company committed to saving the planet with their practices.  In addition to donating 1% of their annual sales to environmental organizations, they use sustainable resources like bamboo, cruelty-free taklon bristles, and recyclable/recycled materials to create their products.

Nature Girl: Incredible organic products designed to keep you looking and feeling fresh make up Nature Girl’s line of skin care, hair, fragrance, and bath and body products.  They have a mother and baby line as well as a men’s line so don’t let the name fool you.  The company has something natural for everyone.

We know that change starts from within.  To be truly beautiful in today’s world means that a person has to be conscientious and willing to make changes in their own life.  Choosing cruelty-free, organic products helps the environment, protects animals, and supports businesses that are committed to making awareness part of their best practices.  For a complete list of cruelty-free companies, visit LeapingBunny.org.  You can even order a pocket-sized Compassionate Shopping Guide for free.