Did you know that a large percentage of makeup brands conduct animal testing?

Animal testing is when experiments or tests are done on living animals in order to confirm the safety of chemicals for humans. There are a variety of animals used for laboratory testing: dogs, birds, rabbits, fish, rates, monkeys, and more. Animal testing is often used to find proper medicine for anxiety, depression, trauma survival, and even some diseases.

Unfortunately, that can include surgically extracting animals’ organs or tissues to purposefully cause damage, forcing animals to inhale hazardous gases, and placing animals in frightening situations, which often times can result in death. The sacrifice of these animals is a big one, and there’s a strong debate on whether or not animal testing is appropriate.

Many researchers argue that animal testing ensures human safety prior to using different medicines. However, what most people don’t know is that animal cruelty isn’t only used for medicinal purposes — its also a large factor of the makeup industry. Experiments could include force feeding animals with potentially harmful substances before putting these same chemicals in your lipstick, or injecting chemicals into their eyes before creating a new sheer eyeshadow.

At Rosary Academy, we believe in the responsibility to take care of and love God’s creation, and we pursue the fulfillment of our charism, “to serve the dear neighbor without distinction.” Our neighbor can be a friendly person on the street, or a lost kitten captured for scientific purposes. As Royals, we should strive to make a positive impact in the world, and trust us when we say that we can make a difference.

The purpose of this article is to inform you of the truth behind several makeup brands that you are most likely aware of or even use. We’ve composed a list of brands that conduct animal testing in order to ensure good quality cosmetics, and brands you could switch to in order to save the lives of our furry friends.

Let’s start off with the shockers. The following brands of makeup conduct animal testing: NARS, L’Oréal, Estee Lauder, MAC, Lancôme, Maybelline, Clinique, Dior, Chanel, Mary Kay, Sephora, and more.

Yeah… we know. The brands previously listed are some of the most popular cosmetic brands in the makeup industry. But hopefully, you also recognize some of these cruelty-free brands: Bare Minerals, itCosmetics, Too-Faced, The Body Shop, NYX, Wet n Wild, Colourpop, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Blk cosmetics, Burt’s Bees, Kevin Murphey, and many more!

Being able to identify products that test on animals is made easy through various programs like the Leaping Bunny program. On verified animal cruelty free companies, the logo of a bunny is placed on the back so consumers know the products they are purchasing were not tested on animals.

Over time, more symbols have been created, but with that, fake logos are used to deceive buyers so companies continue to make profit without having to end animal testing. To ensure that the logo on the product you want to purchase is cruelty free, make sure its one of the certified logos from Leaping Bunny, PETA, or Choose Cruelty-Free.

For more information about animal testing/cruelty and brands to be aware of, visit Cruelty Free International. Or, for a sad but truthful short film, check out this “Save Ralph” video: Save Ralph Short Film. Remember, you can make a difference. Go change the world Royals!