I was sitting on a wooden stool, the nicely sanded kind with a thick polish on it that made your skin stick to it if you sat on it too long. The counters were green, an ugly Christmas green with a texture that could rub your hands raw if you slide your fingers across it too long. We were making ginger bread cookies, my best friend and I. I couldn’t tell you what time of day it was but I knew it must have been late because it was summer and her entire back yard was black, not even the moon was shining that night. I began to tell her about my day and how instead of buying all of the normal make up and cleaning brands that I was used to, I had discovered new alternatives. The brands that I had chosen were marked cruelty free. This meant that these brands did not test on animals. To this day I can’t tell you when I first started to research and buy products that didn’t test on animals, I can’t tell you the first time I ever spoke out about animal rights, and I can’t tell you who the first person I told about what was going on behind the labels of their favorite products. I can however tell you how and why I continue to fight cosmetic animal testing; morals. My higher self simply won’t stand for supporting something that harms another being.
“Well even if you don’t put your money towards those companies, you’re not making a difference. Compared to all of the consumers that exist in this world, what is the difference that one person can make?” This was the first thing my friend had said once I explained that I was going to only shop cruelty free from now on; I was shocked. These words came from a person who owned a humble little farm and as far as I was concerned, she was just as much an animal lover as I was. I stared at the websites that listed companies that still tested on animals. Peta.org had six pages of just cosmetic companies that still tested on animals although scrolling through them I realized that many of the smaller companies were owned by the same parent companies, for example Christina Aguilera Perfumes, Clairol, Bounce and Aussie are all owned by Proctor and Gamble; Bobbie Brown, American Beauty, and Clinique are all owned by Estee Lauder; and Giorgio Armani, Kiehl’s, and Lancome are all owned by L’Oreal. While my scavenger hunt began with the Leaping Bunny Logo it ended with me finding many labels that supported cruelty free products. I was able to discover more things about how some companies might claim that they don’t test on animals but they may outsource to companies that will do it for them, I also found that while a company may be cruelty free that company might me owned by what is called a “parent” company that does test on animals. All of this information helped me make better decisions as a consumer and has helped me be more mindful of where my money goes and what it supports.
“Well even if you don’t put your money towards those companies, you’re not making a difference. Compared to all of the consumers that exist in this world, what is the difference that one person can make?” This was the first thing my friend had said once I explained that I was going to only shop cruelty free from now on; I was shocked. These words came from a person who owned a humble little farm and as far as I was concerned, she was just as much an animal lover as I was. I stared at the websites that listed companies that still tested on animals. Peta.org had six pages of just cosmetic companies that still tested on animals although scrolling through them I realized that many of the smaller companies were owned by the same parent companies, for example Christina Aguilera Perfumes, Clairol, Bounce and Aussie are all owned by Proctor and Gamble; Bobbie Brown, American Beauty, and Clinique are all owned by Estee Lauder; and Giorgio Armani, Kiehl’s, and Lancome are all owned by L’Oreal. While my scavenger hunt began with the Leaping Bunny Logo it ended with me finding many labels that supported cruelty free products. I was able to discover more things about how some companies might claim that they don’t test on animals but they may outsource to companies that will do it for them, I also found that while a company may be cruelty free that company might me owned by what is called a “parent” company that does test on animals. All of this information helped me make better decisions as a consumer and has helped me be more mindful of where my money goes and what it supports.