Exploring the Benefits of Cruelty-Free Skincare Products
Years ago, consumers rarely thought twice about the products they were buying and using in their skincare routine. Collectively, our understanding of the impact that these items have on our skin and on the planet itself has shifted. Vegan and cruelty-free products have exploded in popularity, and as more of us look for holistic alternatives to traditional skincare products, it seems as though their appeal will only increase.
Knowing how these products are made is vital for deciding whether or not they align with our ethics. Considering that facial cleansers, for instance, are used so intimately, on the face, near the eyes, and on the hands, it’s easy to see why someone would choose a cruelty-free face wash rather than one of lesser quality.
A skincare company’s main goal is to sell its products, but that often puts the onus of determining quality and ethics on the consumer. Fortunately, more and more skincare companies have come onto the skincare scene promoting transparent and honest policies regarding their products and how they have been tested and manufactured.
Lately, there has been a growing interest in investing money in products backed by ethical business practices, which has forced the skincare industry to prioritize cruelty-free practices. However, what actually defines something as cruelty-free? How can you be sure that what you’re buying is truly ethical?
It can be difficult to navigate through all the buzzwords that many companies print onto their packaging, most of which boils down to savvy marketing. Cruelty-free doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot when it comes to skincare products and how they are developed. There is no hard legal definition of what constitutes cruelty-free, so it’s important to stay diligent and informed about the skincare items you ultimately decide to purchase.
Fortunately, there are many resources at your disposal that can help you navigate the skincare world and find the high-quality products that satisfy your code of ethics and moral compass. By understanding what it means to be truly cruelty-free, you will be one step closer to finding your favorite cruelty-free skincare products that will inspire you with confidence and pride.
What Does “Cruelty-Free” Really Mean in the Skincare Industry?
It is important to note that the term “cruelty-free” is not regulated by any governing bodies or agencies. So be wary and unassuming when reading labels on certain products, even ones by brands you assume to be ethical. Although the hunt for cruelty-free products may sound redundant or useless, there are a few tricks you can use when reading the labels.
Here are a few example scenarios of the kinds of labeling conventions you may encounter when shopping for cruelty-free skincare products:
- A specific product may have never been tested on animals, but this fact could be absent on the label. You may have to read up on the brand or check their website for additional insight.
- The brand may have used ingredients that have previously been tested on animals although they no longer do any testing.
- The brand did not test their product on animals but a company that supplied certain ingredients tested on animals.
- If there was any animal testing involved, it was done in a different country with weaker animal rights legislation.
It can be somewhat of a chore wading through all of the different kinds of terminology used when it comes to skincare and beauty products in general, but there are certain important signs to take note of and ways to tell if a product is actually cruelty-free and worth your time. Whether you are searching for a beneficial cruelty-free face wash, moisturizer, facial serum, or any other kind of personal care product, educating yourself is the best way to make finding the perfect products a breeze.
What to Look For in Cruelty-Free Skincare Products
One of the most recognizable and trusted initiatives for cruelty-free skincare in the entire industry is the Leaping Bunny Program. This program was brought about by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC). The Leaping Bunny Program holds high standards and maintains a single, comprehensive benchmark for the labeling of cruelty-free products.
The ultimate goal of this coalition is to make it easier and more accessible for consumers to find and purchase products that are not tested on animals. For any skincare brand to hop onto this initiative and have the exclusive “leaping bunny” branding on their packaging, they must first sign an agreement that promises they will never test their products on animals at any part of the product development process.
You may think that a simple signed agreement isn’t enough to truly know if a company decides to test on animals or not, but the CCIC actually conducts on-site tests to ensure no animal testing is going on while a brand’s skincare products are under development. This ensures responsibility, contingency, and holds brands accountable for their claims.
Other animal rights activist organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) provide a database called Beauty Without Bunnies. This database is a great resource and contains plenty of information regarding the validity of cruelty-free skincare products. This can be an extremely useful and helpful tool to narrow down your search for legit cruelty-free skincare products without hours of redundant research.
You can search based on the name of the product you are researching or the brand you are interested in. This database lists more than 5,000 brands as cruelty-free and also includes information on brands to avoid.
Now that you are well on your way to finding legitimate cruelty-free products that you can trust, let’s break down why this category of skincare may be the overall better choice for you and your skin.
The Benefits of Using The Right Skincare Products
Other than the fact that items labeled “cruelty-free” haven’t been tested on animals, other great perks naturally come with these kinds of carefully-formulated products. Since many ingredients that are tested on animals are not beneficial for your skin, using cruelty-free products may prove the better option. The formulas of these products are often much safer and less toxic than other skincare products that contain synthetic ingredients.
Most cruelty-free skincare formulas are free of any potentially harmful ingredients like parabens, synthetic dyes, and sulfates. Those ingredients are proven to be damaging to your skin, so there’s no reason why they should be included in products that are solely meant for your face.
Compared to the rest of your body, the skin on your face is far more delicate and prone to damage, especially with continuous exposure to harmful ingredients.
Besides aging, such harmful ingredients pose other negative effects for your skin such as inflammation, acne breakouts, and potentially even allergic reactions. Choosing to use cruelty-free products will not only be beneficial for the sake of animals but also for the sake of your skin health.
When it comes to skincare, it’s important to not only be mindful of what is best for your skin but also be aware of how these brands and skincare corporations run their businesses and develop their products. With the research that needs to be done just to find ethical skincare brands that are transparent about their business practices, it will be worth all of the work to find your new favorite skincare products. These products are the first step to achieving better consumer habits, and are much better for our skin as well.
By choosing to switch to primarily cruelty-free skincare products, you are doing your part toward bringing about real change. No matter how small that change may seem in the grand scheme of things, it is positive change nonetheless. With more consumers buying from brands and companies that promote cruelty-free practices, it sends the message to other corporations that we have far surpassed the need for animal testing. Power is in numbers, so the more people who make the switch, the more pressure there is for companies to make the switch, too.
It’s easy to assume that most cruelty-free brands run on the pricey side because they don’t use standard industry practices. This is surprisingly not the case, and reveals another benefit to using these high-quality products: the cost. Many brands that offer cruelty-free products are rather affordable, so you don’t have to worry about overextending your budget to maintain your ethical priorities.
Where to Find Cruelty-Free Face Wash and Other Quality Products
At this point, there is no justifiable reason for so many corporations to continue to test their products on animals. Not only is it unethical and cruel, but it also shows the lack of understanding of what customers are really looking for.
Testing on animals does not necessarily mean that those products will also be safe for human use. With today’s technologies, there are many different methods to test products that don’t involve animals that still have reliable scientific backing, such as computer models and volunteer testing.
Additionally, there are numerous cosmetic ingredients that we know are safe for human use and that do not require animal testing in order to determine their safety. It would appear as though the bigger corporations need to catch up when it comes to transparency, ethics, and prioritizing the well-being of both animals and consumers.
Fortunately enough, if you have been scouring the Web in search of vegan or cruelty-free skincare products, that search is over. Here at ourCommonplace, we strive to provide ethical, sustainable, and cruelty-free products to our customers.
For instance, here is a list of some of our favorite cruelty-free face washes What Does “Cruelty-Free” Really that we offer here in our marketplace:
- 27 Rosiers Fight Grime Gel Cleanser
- Bella Vida Coco Citrus Noir Purifying Cleanser with Charcoal
- Strange Bird Inner Clarity Cleaner
- Aspen Anise Glow Foaming Cleanser
All of these amazing cruelty-free face washes have been vetted for their cruelty-free claims, which is why we are proud to feature them in our marketplace. We want to provide our customers with the most ethical, safe, and high-quality choices when it comes to all of our products, especially our skincare. We understand that finding the best quality cruelty-free products can be challenging, so it is our goal to streamline that process for you.
The skincare industry is set up to allow the bigger corporations to be at the forefront in most retail stores, despite the quality and origin of their product lines. By supporting small businesses with ethical, sustainable, and transparent business practices, you are helping create change in the skincare industry. By using your monetary vote for smaller businesses, it will show these big companies that the market is leaning towards cruelty-free skincare options and away from products that perform unnecessary animal testing.
At ourCommonplace, we don’t just offer cruelty-free face washes, we also stock our online marketplace with other amazing products that are worth a look, including non-toxic masks, moisturizers, lip balms, and more.
Our mission at ourCommonplace is to create a community that understands the value of sustainability, health and wellness, and cruelty-free practices. All of the businesses that we feature here either have sustainable or cruelty-free products and are either woman or BIPOC owned as well.
We are hoping to create a commonplace standard of ethics and awareness that encourages more business owners to raise the bar and create products that are of a higher quality. The brands we choose to promote are carefully handpicked and curated to ensure that they also hold to our values and goals. We believe that businesses should be conscious of their production efforts, the treatment of their employees, and the impact they have socially and environmentally.
We have six different standards that we hold all of our partners up to, that include:
All of these standards we set in place to create a holistic environment for our customers. No matter if you are in search of a cruelty-free face wash, a sustainably made swimsuit, or if you simply want to support a BIPOC-owned business, then your first stop should be right here at ourCommonplace.
If shopping responsibly is one of your concerns, and you have been looking for better-quality skincare products, you will find the selection of ethical goods here in our marketplace will meet your needs and values.