It’s 2017. It’s almost December so that means buying pressies time! I wanted to do this post, which I’ve been wanting to write for ages, in time for anyone wanting new makeup for xmas! Scroll to whatever heading you fancy and find all the info you want because this post is going to be massive and very comprehensive! Strap yourselves in.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for a big list of cruelty free brands….if the brand you are considering isn’t on that list, they probably test on animals!
We’re the most technologically advanced we have ever been. We’re also as materialistic as ever. You’d think that, with all of these advances, we’d be a bit more sympathetic to the natural world and our impact on it. Aside from environmental factors, which I will no doubt write a blog post on soon as I strive to consider how to be less wasteful, it’s 2017… HOW CAN WE STILL TEST COSMETICS ON ANIMALS. I genuinely cannot fathom how this is acceptable and so widely practised. Basically think of any mainstream brand you see advertised on tv or in shops and there’s an incredibly strong chance they test their products on animals. This is not a debate over medical testing on animals, that’s an entirely different debate but holy god why do we need to test foundation or hand soap on bunnies?! SO MANY brands do NOT test on animals and I’m going to help you recognise them.
This will be a massive go-to guide on all aspects of your life that test on animals without you even realising. From hair products to hand soap, mascara to moisturiser….this guide will show you how easy it is to change to cruelty free products. They are no more expensive than the products you currently use, they may well be cheaper, but they do not test their products on animals. This is not a post about vegan products, though some listed are indeed vegan, so lots of these products do contain animal products but this post is about testing on animals.
I’ll break it down into easy sections for you, with examples of what I personally use and other brands or products you can use, and where I can I’ll give you the prices etc to make it even easier for you.
I’m not suggesting you throw out all your old favourites. I know how devoted you can get to a particular foundation shade or cleansing product. But I just want you to consider other options that are far kinder to the little bunnies and other critters that end up suffering for your fav formula. Do you find yourself buying the same shampoo just because that’s the one you’ve always bought? Just consider some of these on this list, as easily available and as good value as your old fav, but kinder! Some of the animal ‘tests’ actually kill the animals, I don’t mean to be all preachy but come on…for makeup!? SO NOT NECESSARY
MAKEUP
Makeup is one of the biggest cruelty-heavy sections of the market. Many brands actively use animals testing, while some only animals test where required by law…aka if their products are sold in China. I know this is the law there but many brands do not allow their products to be sold here because of this law and I wholeheartedly back that opinion! SO if you’ve googled your brand and it says ‘we do not test on animals in the UK’ but it’s on the list below, that’s the reasoning behind it!
These brands DO TEST ON ANIMALS:
MAC, Rimmel London, Revlon, Max Factor, Benefit, Maybelline, Estee Lauder, Avon, Nars, Clinique, OPI, Clarins, Victoria’s Secret, Bobbi Brown, Elizabeth Arden, L’Oréal, Lancôme, YSL, Dior, Guerlain, D&G, Simple and many more.
BRANDS THAT ARE CRUELTY FREE
Look for the leaping bunny symbol, of the PETA certified bunny ears symbol, vegan or some other symbols that state cruelty free…
MUA, Makeup Revolution, Barry M, Autograph (M&S), GOSH, Body Shop, Anastasia, Colourpop, Cover FX, ELF, Kat Von D, Seventeen, Kylie, Laura Geller, LUSH, PIXI, Real Techniques, Superdrug own brands, Wet’n’Wild, Wunderbrow, Marks and Spencer, Boots Natural Collection, Botanics (bigger list at the end of this post)
Two Faced, Urban Decay, Burts Bees, Smashbox, NYX, Liz Earle, Bare Minerals and Aveda are all cruelty free but are owned by a parent company who tests on animals so they’re up to you whether you class them as safe.
Basically if you go to Marks and Spencer and buy anything from there, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be safe and happy. All Hail M&S for their ethical policies.
So now I’m going to show you the stuff I use! I get a lot of compliments on the products I use so here, they’re cheap and happy alternatives to cruel brands….
FACE
For my face I use products from The Body Shop. They have a foundation pale enough (almost) for me (HURRAY) and with the aid of their Lightening Drops I can make any of their foundations fit my skin colour. They also have Darkening Drops if you have darker skin tones. The face powder here is also Body Shop and can be used as a foundation or powder, depending on what you like.. My beauty blender is Autograph, M&S. The prices?
Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation: £15
Body Shop Lightening Drops: £10
Body Shop All in one Face Base: £15
I also use an MUA setting powder: £1
Pixi Concealer quad (not photographed because I forgot): £16.50
Other recommendations: M&S Autograph foundation, different options for different skin types and good value.
So these are just what I use…often the Body Shop has offers so it makes life cheaper and easier. You can find Pixi products sold in Marks and Spencer. These are just my favs, but there are countless other options for you….For easy reference I went to my nearest Superdrug and of the entire wall of makeup brands, exactly half were cruelty free! SEE it’s easy!!
FACE CARE
Without sounding too much like a beauty blogger, a good face care routine is my ultimate life hack aka it keeps your skin soft and clear and like a little peach. This is an array of my favourite cruelty free brands.
Superdrug’s Vitamin E range is super duper cheap and there are always lots of offers, 3 for 2 etc. so it makes the range even cheaper! My absolute favourite is the SPF radiance cream, it has a teeny bit of glittery stuff? Idk what it is but its magic and refreshes your face and makes you look a bit more awake and alive while moisturising you and protecting against sun to avoid any damage.
Also Superdrug, the B.Simple range is excellent for face cleansers and creams! Also very cheap. That masssssive Micellar water was £4.95 and was BOGOF so I’m sorted for ages.
Boots Botanics is probably my favourite range. They’ve recently rebranded so their packaging is different from what you see above. They offer skin care for different skin types, whether it be anti-ageing or brightening. During their repackaging is when I discovered the Vitamin E and B.Simple ranges. Their rebrand also meant a price increase which I was annoyed about so I’m going to give you the new prices here….I would wear the Botanics All Bright Face Cream with SPF (£6.99), All Bright Night Cream (£6.99) and All Bright Purifying Face Scrub (£5.49).
For Guys? All of the above are suitable for men OBVIOUSLY but specifically Bulldog skincare for men are cruelty free! As well as own brand Superdrug and Boots products!
LIPS
An array of the lipsticks I use, and I have to admit I LOVE lipsticks.
Above are products from MUA, Makeup Revolution, Barry M, Limited (M&S), Autograph (M&S), Diego Dalla Palma (M&S) and Soap and Glory (Boots). Also not pictured are lip liners from Natural Collection (Boots) which are super cheap and really good! Makeup Revolution and MUA (Makeup Academy) do £1 lippies which are actually fairly good and great for colour testing etc.
My ultimate favs are the M&S lipsticks, I bought about 6 in the sale in the summer, Diego and Autograph colours….
Autograph velvet matte lipstick: £10
Diego Dalla Palma lipstick: £16
Makeup Revolution Matte:£3
Makeup Revolution Luxe Liquid Lip Matte: £6
MUA Liquid Matte: £3
Barry M Colour changing lipstick: £4.50
In Terms of lipsalves? Ditch the chapsticks and neutrogenas, and your blistex and carmex (they’ve even got carcinogenic ingredients!)….go for an own brand version, or Body Shop if you want it to be really yummy! Or Burts Bees….though they may be starting to sell in China and thus testing on animals soon…
BROWS
Eyebrows are the windows to the soul and I take pride in my big old bushy brows. My favourite product by 100 miles is my Pixi eyebrow palette (£16) and my travelling Pixi pencil/gel duo (£15). I also use the MUA eyebrow gel (£2). I know not everyone is obsessive over brows as I am so I’ve photographed some cheaper options! Barry M’s Brow kit used to be my go-to (£5.99) but other cheap options are available like the MUA Brow Kit (£3.50) and the Seventeen Brow’s that (£5.99).
EYES
Eyeshadows and Eyeliners and Mascaras, there are loads of options even though the photograph above doesn’t show many and its also a bit blurry but it just wouldn’t focus for some reason. Here’s the breakdown on prices
Pixi eyeliner: £12
MUA eyeliner: £1
Makeup Revolution galaxy palette: free because I spent over £12 last xmas offer.
Single Barry M eyeshadows: Actually sold in Poundland so a whopping £1
Not Photographed but my absolute go-to eyeliner (I’ve run out oops): Collection Extreme 24hr eyeliner felt pen: £2.99 *amazing stuff
Makeup Revolution and Makeup Academy (both superdrug fyi) have an absolutely killer selection of eyeshadows, really pigmented and basically all under £10 so choose any colour selection you want and go wild.
CONTOUR AND HIGHLIGHT
So my selection here is pretty meagre because I’m due an update but these are my cheap and cheerful contour and highlight products:
MUA pressed powder: £1
Makeup Revolution contour: £2
Makeup Revolution blush/contour/highlight palette: £3
MUA Highlight: £3
Body Shop also do some excellent products for this range, particularly highlighters.
NAILS
Nail Varnish: basically your life is easy……just go to Barry M. Cheap and excellent. Also M&S Autograph has an excellent range but be sure to have a base coat under bright colours like the above yellow as they can stain a bit. Leighton Denny has a range (at M&S) of really good nail care products too, bit pricy but worth it because they’re excellent quality.
If you’re getting a manicure, consider going to a big Superdrug who do gel manicures (v cheap) with a vegan and cruelty free range called ORLY (they also do normal nail varnishes).
BATHROOM
PERFUME
Before I move on to bathroomy stuff, can I just mention Perfumes in this section. Most perfumes test on animals to be honest…. and I think weaning people off their fav perfumes is the hardest thing to do. So I’ll offer you these suggestions and go and sniff for yourself!
Marks and Spencer
All very pretty, all very floral, all very reasonably priced!!
The Body Shop
Lots of floral and natural scents in eau de toilettes for reasonable prices….waaay cheaper than the highstreet expensive cruel brands!
LUSH
I haven’t mentioned LUSH much throughout this post but its literally only because I don’t live near one! I would buy a heck of a lot more stuff from LUSH if I was nearby and could smell the yummy things. Check it out.
L’Occitane
They discontinued my fav green tea fragrance but they have some delish scents, for men and women.
SOAPS
Handwashes and hand soaps are the most essential item in the house but do you use Dove? Simple? Imperial Leather? Johnsons? Palm Olive? Wella? Pears? Neutrogena? Olay? Vaseline? THEY ALL TEST ON ANIMALS
Instead of showing you lots of photographs for this section, I’ll just give you the cruelty free brands to look out for…. in supermarkets, in chemists and for online shopping!
- M&S any soap or hand wash they have!
- Body Shop
- Lush
- Method
- Bayliss and Harding (sold in Sainsbury’s!)
- EcoCover
- ASDA own brand
- Sainsburys own brand
- Tesco own brand
- Morrisons own brand
- Waitrose own brand
- Co-op own brand
- Molton Brown
- Neal’s Yard
- Superdrug own brand
- Boots own brand
TEETH
Easily overlooked on your cruelty free quest but toothpastes under these labels test on animals:
Colgate, Arm and Hammer, Sensodyn, Aquafresh, Crest.
CRUELTY FREE:
Superdrug own brand: I’ve used their sensitive whitening toothpaste and a charcoal toothpaste that does whiten your teethypegs! I have to be honest it takes a bit of getting used to the slightly different texture/taste of toothpastes that aren’t your usual but worth it in the long run. If you think that people put toothpaste on spots to dry them up…imagine that on a bunny’s skin 😦
Mouthwash: go for Superdrug own brand again, can’t go wrong with them, particularly on price! Very cheap and often on offer.
Lush do toothpaste! Go check it outt
Supermarket own brands are also a good way to go! They may not have the leaping bunny logo but they are!
Other options? Go online to the PETA website and it gives you a long list of less easily available ones but might be more up your street.
DEODORANTS
Again, easily overlooked! Superdrug own brand is my go-to choice but again, supermarket own brands would work too.
A good travel deodorant is Salt of the Earth: a solid salt stick that you use when you’re damp after a shower or you dampen it before you use it. A solid stick so it doesn’t take up any of your toiletry allowance on the plane. I have to say this isn’t my fav as I like sprays but my mother swears by it! (In Holland and Barrett). It says its made in China but is not tested on animals proving its possible! Another brand similar is Ice Guard natural crystal deodorant, bought again from H&B!
If you like body sprays, ditch the Impulse and go for these instead.
HAIR PRODUCTS/ SHOWER
So this is the array that I use. Again Superdrug own brand Pro Vitamin are cheap and cater for volume, classic and colour shampoos with matching conditioners, £2.29 each. I used to swear by the colour range until I found out it had wheat proteins in and as a coeliac I’d just prefer to avoid anything that says ‘wheat’. Superdrug’s Coconut Water shampoo and conditioner range is fab too (but again, wheaty)… very clean with no residue and moisturising! £3.99 each.
If you want an anti-dandruff shampoo check out Superdrug’s Trichology Revitalising shampoo for £3.99.
My fav conditioner is Palmer’s coconut oil repairing conditioner. Palmer’s is a cruelty-free company so go wild with your coco butter! This conditioner really works and is everything-bad free: no gluten, no parabens, no sulphates, no dyes, no mineral oil etc. £4.19 but right now on offer for half price at Superdrug.
Kind Natured is a lovely range from Boots, natural ingredients and cruelty free and free from all the gunk often in shampoos. I use the colour shampoo because, strangely enough I’m not naturally Malfoy-white. Bit pricier at £4.99 but sometimes on offer so I mix and match til I can get it cheaper. They also do nourishing ranges and not just colour shampoo and conditioners.
I also love a good hair mask….again superdrug own brand (I swear this isn’t endorsed by superdrug, they’re just great for cruelty free!)
Shower Gels
All shower gels pale in comparison to Natural Source. I’m hardcore and go for the mint but they have loads of different scents and flavours and are often on offer for £1, available from any supermarket so they’re perfect for online shoppers! Also all natural ingredients.
Other shower gels: Body Shop and Marks and Spencer have amazing smelling ones and very reasonably priced too!
I also just discovered this range at Superdrug and really want to try them asap! All cruelty free of course!
HAIR PRODUCTS
Dry shampoo! Happily the biggest brand Batiste is cruelty free! As are Superdrug own brand dry shampoos so you can’t go wrong!
Products I use? Superdrug’s salt spray is fab, Boots own brand leave in conditioner and dry shampoo. Paul Mitchell is a great cruelty free brand, bit pricier but worth it for the salon feel.
HAIR DYE
One of the hardest categories to talk about. My new silver locks are as a result of the Pick&Mix permenant collection, though I’ve found their semi-permenant range to be pretty weak. Other cruelty free options? I use Jerome Russell bBlonde for my bleaching as they do an excellent range that works REALLY well. Other brands include Manic Panic, EcoColours, Arctic Fox, Punky Colour, LUSH (henna).
KITCHEN AND WASHING
Remember the soap section above for your kitchen hand soap but for washing up dishes and washing up clothes? Your products may not be cruelty free!
When doing your supermarket shop, get an own brand bleach and an own brand washing up liquid and move past Fairy! My ultimate recommendation is Ecover washing up liquid….it doesn’t test on animals and doesn’t harm animals that live in the drains like little frogs and fishies. Not expensive either and available at all supermarkets!
Basically on your travels, buy own brand supermarket washing up liquid, washing detergent, and everything you need in the kitchen! They do the job just as well, don’t assume because they’re not the big named brands that they’re any less efficient! Just because they’re cheaper, don’t assume they’re less efficient! You’re almost just paying for the animal testing because there are usually very few differences.
Ecover is just an amazing brand for washing dishes and clothes but the clothing stuff can be expensive so watch out for supermarket deals. They do toilet cleaner too so consider it for your bathroom as well!
BONUS
Got a tattoo lately? Don’t use Bepanthen the gloopy sticky nappy rash cream, get yourself to LUSH and get their Elbow Grease, its a stick so its easy to use and so good for tattoos! Saves you the hideous feeling of the thick creams and is way more subtle to have on as its clear!
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I hope this blog post has helped you when thinking of your next makeup haul or inspired you to adjust your weekly supermarket online order. When in doubt, look to own-brand items. When in doubt actually just look at this list, or message me because I am happy to do the digging into the background of a brand for you!
I am super passionate about spreading the word about cruelty free products and to make people aware of HOW MANY BRANDS STILL TEST ON ANIMALS when they REALLY don’t need to. I live a cruelty free life and it makes me happier and I still smell amazing, am squeaky clean and look on fleek.
Below is a big list of cruelty free brands just for your ease of access. It’s not 100% complete but it’s the best I can do and I will add to it when I find more etc.
CRUELTY FREE BRANDS
3rd Rock Sunblock (Yes sunblock tests on animals!!)
American Apparel (Nail varnish)
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Arctic Fox
Australis
Arbonne
Argos
Autograph
ASDA
B.Simple (Superdrug)
Badger
Barefaced Beauty
Bare Minerals
Barry M
Batiste
Bayliss and Harding
Body Shop
Botanics (Boots)
Bulldog skincare for men
Collection
Co-op
Colourpop
Cover FX
Crystal Body deodorant
Diego Dalla Palma
Drunk Elephant
Earths’ Beauty
EcoColours
Ecover
EcoTools
ELF
Everyday Minerals
FatFace
Glossier
GOSH
House of Lashes
ILIA
Illamasqua
Jerome Russell
Julep
Kat Von D
Kind Natured (Boots)
Kylie Cosmetics
LA Girl
Laura Geller
L’Occitane
LUSH
Makeup Academy
Makeup Revolution
Manic Panic
Marks and Spencer
Method
Milani
Milk Makeup
Mineral Fusion
Molton Brown
Morrison’s
Nature’s Gate
Natural Source
Neal’s Yard
ORLY
Painted Earth
Palmers
Paul Mitchell
Pixi
Pure + Simple (NOT ‘Simple’)
Pur Minerals
Queen Helene
Real Techniques
Sainsbury’s
Seventeen
Sleek
Soap and Glory
Stila
Superdrug
The Natural Soapworks
Waitrose
W3ll People
Wet”Wild
Wunderbrow
Zoya
Owned by a parent company who tests on animals, though they themselves are cruelty free:
Two Faced, Urban Decay, Burts Bees (may be soon to sell in China so won’t be cruelty free for long!), Smashbox, NYX, Liz Earle, Bare Minerals and Aveda
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