What does cruelty-free makeup really entail?

What does cruelty-free makeup really entail?
By Laura Doyle  | Nov 22, 2019

Not too long ago you would have found it quite difficult to find vegan-friendly or cruelty-free makeup. But now more brands than ever before are becoming cruelty-free and a lot more economically friendly.

What's even better is that because most of the high-end brands are drifting away from animal testing, their products are ethical yet still high quality.

But what does cruelty-free really entail?

What is cruelty-free makeup?

Cruelty-free means any cosmetic products that are not tested on animals pre or post packaging. If a company is 100% vegan or cruelty-free certified this means at no stage of production were any of their products tested on an animal.

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Are cruelty-free and vegan the same?

As a rule, no. Although cruelty-free means not tested on animals it doesn't mean that some of the products going into the cosmetics are not from an animal. Although most cruelty-free brands are also vegan, it is best to check each product individually just to be sure.

How do they test cruelty-free makeup?

As the years pass so does the development of scientific techniques. There are ways for some labs to mimic human tissue and makeup can be then tested on it. Human tissue can also be donated and tested on rather than animals.