a beginner's guide to cruelty-free beauty

chaicollective21
Jun 2
4 min read

Updated: Aug 16

it’s a cruel world out there. sometimes, it’s easy to feel lost and helpless when there’s some nasty sh*t going on around us here in the U.S. one way we can all make a difference is to buy beauty, personal hygiene, and cleaning products that haven’t been tested on animals.

after finding out about the barbaric and inhumane ways that animals are treated by testing facilities, i was so disgusted that i decided from that moment on, that i would never buy another product that was tested on an animal ever again. therefore, i have been exclusively buying cruelty-free products for the past five years.

there’s a common misconception that just because a product is “politically correct”, it will cost more. i can attest from personal experience that that is simply untrue. you don’t have to break the bank to buy cruelty-free & vegan products. i want to help others realize that shopping cruelty-free is easy & accessible.

Look for these logos when shopping to identify cruelty-free and vegan brands.

before we begin, i would like to clarify that although i do try to buy vegan products as well as cruelty-free, i sometimes make some exceptions. there are many brands whose products are cruelty-free, but not vegan.

remember- there’s a difference between a product/brand being cruelty-free and being vegan. according to my trusted cruelty-free resource, Cruelty-Free Kitty; “brands can be cruelty-free without being vegan, and claim to be vegan without being cruelty-free. this is because ‘cruelty-free’ refers to the animal testing aspect, while ‘vegan’ refers to the ingredients. a ‘vegan’ product contains no animal-derived ingredients, such as Beeswax (made by bees), Carmine (a red pigment made from crushed beetles), or Collagen (from mammal or fish skin).”

here’s my guide to shopping cruelty-free, from perfume & makeup to skin and hair care.

the problem with parent companies

for context, i want to share some of the most prominent animal abusers in the industry- this begins with parent companies. for example, many name beauty brands, such as Garnier, Maybelline, and Essie are under the parent company L’Oréal. some other “parent companies” include Johnson & Johnson, Estée Lauder, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble.

Image Credit: Megan Willett and Skye Goul

while some of the individual brands under these parent companies are strictly cruelty-free, some of these brands do test on animals, as do their parent companies. this complicates things because there’s really no “right” thing to do. it’s up to you as a consumer to choose what to do.

whether you want to boycott all brands under a parent company that tests as a “F U” of sorts to the parent company or choose to support one of its brands solely because of its individual company ethics (or because you have no other option but to buy that specific product). you could also do what I do, and choose to buy solely from cruelty-free brands, including ones under parent companies like L’Oréal to show their parent companies that consumers prefer cruelty-free brands. in my perfect world, no one would test on animals. unfortunately, this is not the case. however, supporting all cruelty-free brands shows that consumers do have the power to encourage a more ethical and cruelty-free beauty & personal hygiene industry.

here is a complete list of animal-testing brands to avoid brought to you by Cruelty-Free Kitty.

instead of this, consider this

here are some great cruelty-free and vegan product alternatives to your favorite beauty products and brands.

want pillow-soft lips? instead of purchasing Laneige’s viral Lip Sleeping Mask, consider buying a lip mask from Trader Joe’s.

though their products are not 100% vegan, they are completely cruelty-free and completely wonderful. i recommend the Vanilla Lip Mask. it’s also $20 cheaper!

want to smell like heaven? choose Ariana Grande or Sol De Janeiro fragrances.

every time I wear Cloud by Ariana Grande, i get stopped by strangers complimenting my scent. i’ve been wearing it for years, and i never get tired of it. God Is A Woman is also an excellent fragrance, and every perfume in Ari’s line is 100% cruelty-free & vegan.

Sol De Janeiro products are also 100% cruelty-free & vegan. their body mists are great beginner fragrances, and they’re also fairly affordable. a decent-sized bottle is $25, which usually lasts me about 6 months. i call that a steal!!

want your hands to stay hydrated and sanitized? swap your old Bath & Body Works pocketbacs for a Touchland Hand Sanitizer Mist.

cruelty-free, sulfate-free, vegan, AND sensory-friendly? i’m sold. for a cheaper alternative, Five Below also sells hand sanitizer mist.

want some affordable beauty products? opt for Ulta Beauty collection instead of Sephora Collection.

while Ulta is not 100% vegan, they are totally cruelty-free, which is more than i can say for Sephora. after all, orange is the new black. it also happens to be a bit more affordable (and better quality in my personal opinion). shop the Ulta Beauty Collection here.

want perfectly polished fingernails? instead of buying a bottle of OPI nail polish, grab a bottle of China Glaze nail polish (see HERE for more cruelty-free nail polish brands).

a bottle of China Glaze nail polish may be $7 less than a bottle of OPI polish, but the feeling of buying a product made ethically is priceless. shop China Glaze here.

helpful articles & resources

here’s some of my favorite resources and articles to help guide you in your cruelty-free journey.

to learn more about buying cruelty-free & vegan: