It is understandable why being a cruelty-free beauty brand pays off for both the brand and the consumer. The evolving awareness of animal cruelty is making the consumer navigate more towards cruelty-free brands that:

1. Do not test on animals;
2. Do not include Carmine (crushed bugs) as an ingridient for red pigments;
3. Do not use mink (and other) furs in false eyelashes;
4. Do not sell in China, where animal testing is mandatory to sell to Chinese consumers.

… and more.

According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), as of December 11, 2019, cruelty-free beauty brands include:

Watch Out! There have been three changes made in the industry since then:

1. Kat Von D Beauty underwent a rebrand and is now called KVD Vegan Beauty, however, they do still maintain a cruelty-free status;
2. Wet n Wild brand has found themselves in a huge scandal regarding their cruelty-free status, as they were spotted in China (a country that requires mandatory animal testing), which sent many beauty lovers into a frenzy and made them stop purchasing from the brand.
3. Physician’s Formula was found selling in China, secretly. Therefore, they have lost their cruelty-free status.

If animal testing and a cruelty-free status is something that is important to you – please do your research and find the most recent and credible information (some brands can be deceptive and advertise as something they are not).

Here are the three best resources for information about cruelty-free status for many brands:

1. PETA
2. Cruelty Free Kitty
3. Leaping Bunny

Last bit to remember to easily identify if a product is cruelty-free or not – check out the sides of the packaging for a symbol of a bunny that looks like one of these: