The TRUTH About Cruelty Free Cosmetics - They Aren't Free From Cruelty

The term "Cruelty Free" in cosmetics is absolutely misleading. Less cruel may be more accurate, but cruelty free? Not accurate. What are cruelty free cosmetics REALLY? Who may still be harmed in their production? Let's talk about it.

TECH NOTE - There is a period where the audio sinks down at around 11 minutes in. It comes back in about 45 seconds! Sorry!!!

*Resources*

*Time Stamps*
0:00 Intro
1:03 4 ways "Cruelty Free" may still be cruel
7:33 Then, what is Cruelty Free???
11:53 My opinion
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CURRENT SETUP:

[mariavomero]

If you (generic 'you') really want to help the environment, consume less. We over-spend, over-buy, over-waste and over-pollute. Let us buy responsibly and buy less, people! :)
Awesome video, Jen :)

[AmyPetrucci]

As a cruelty-free cosmetics consumer and content creator, I try to tell my audience that it’s not about being perfect. It’s impossible to lead a completely cruelty-free life. If I go for a run, I may unknowingly squash a bug. I’m not sure what is in the glue in my tires. But as you said, there’s no need to test on animals. It’s an outdated and cruel practice. That’s why I say vote with your dollar, use your voice, and if you find out that a brand does not align with your views, then discontinue purchasing from them. It’s still worth getting loud about - we gotta save the buggies, beagles, mice, and bunnies. ❤️

[adrichapa]

I think it’s interesting where people draw their lines re: “bugs aren’t animals” (in the case of pigments whose ingredients are sourced from insects)

Also, I wish the term “cruelty free” was also akin to “ethically produced.” While it’s important not to cause unnecessary harm to animals through cosmetics/ingredients testing, it’s also important to be cognizant of the deplorable labor conditions that so many people endure within the production chain for these products (from mica mines to assembly lines).

[crystallynch]

With today’s technology there is no reason to have to rub mascara in a bunny’s eyes.

[AmyLovesMakeup]

Really appreciate this video. It’s disheartening that there’s so many ways a product can be “cruelty free” but not truly free of cruelty.

[monicamkupmartinez]

A chemist friend of mine told me that today there's no reason to test ingredients, because everything was already test, as you say, unless is a new ingredient, there's no point on keep on doing that. Nice video Jen. 💕

[meganlash]

Your research is very informative and helpful. I went "cruelty free" in my cosmetics a few years ago, and while I completely understand and agree with everything you said, I still think it's better to purchase from "cruelty free" brands than from brands such as Loreal, etc, that knowingly tests their products on animals. Hope that makes sense.

[watada]

Thank you for shedding light on the other issues there are in cosmetics besides just cruelty free. Things like palm oil isn’t just in cosmetics either, it’s in a ton of food and other products, and are responsible for the destruction of SE Asian forests. The major wildfires a couple of years ago that blanketed Asia from Indonesian forests were because of illegal fires from burning forests for palm oil plantations, and are directly responsible for the reason Orangutans are so critically endangered.

[amberwilliams]

I’m actually an Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistic! It’s awesome you see you using our data. 😋 It looks like that program no longer exists which is why you couldn’t find current data.

[dreamof_me]

I remember seeing a video in 2016 or so where a woman was talking about how “cruelty free” isn’t necessarily cruelty free. It’s very difficult to understand where mica or other ingredients are actually from, even if companies do the due diligence to investigate that. Even something that says “made in the USA” or “made in the UK” could still be made unethically to keep costs down. I believe the video mentioned a case where a company in the UK was found to be keeping people hostage and forcing them to work in what was basically slave labor.

[sftraub]

Two things to point out, one is that sheep, the source of lanolin, really need shearing. If their fleece goes too long without being sheared, it mats and can cause ripping and pulling out of the hairs which is terribly painful to the animal, it picks up debris which can irritate the animal, add extra weight and restrict movement. Finally, the weight of an unaddressed fleece on an animal can cause the animal to die from crush asphixiation or the inability to move causing the animal to starve to death. The second matter involves vegan practices of using synthetic materials for clothing, shoes and accessories, rather than leather. The majority of these synthetics are petroleum based. Fossil fuels and their byproducts used in synthetic materials are non renewable. Wool is highly renewable and leather is a byproduct of meat consumption. The world is not going vegetarian soon, we should use what we have, the leather. The synthetics and pleathers are very harmful, leaching plastics into the waterways, causing no biodegradable choking of landfills and these garments and accessories are not really durable. If you care for leather, wool and suede, they will last for years. Pleather and vinyl and other synthetics do not. There is also the manufacturing process of these synthetics which uses fuel and are often sourced from poorer countries. Honestly, we should look to indigenous peoples of all continents like the Inuit of Canada and Alaska or the Native American tribes practice of using all usable parts of a resource animal, meat, skin, fur, bone, etc.

[xGothicBeautyx]

-- thank you for this video. I made it a priority, a few years ago, to buy only cruelty free cosmetic products because my soul would hurt knowing i caused harm just to wear makeup. But it was one of your videos recently that shocked me to learn cruelty free is not what i thought. It is unacceptable to harm any living being on this planet for cosmetics, something so non essential and unnecessary for living. i want to be a better consumer and bring no harm to anything. thank you jen<3

[nataliegillies]

I think about the labor aspect of “cruelty free” so often. I support companies who treat their employees and suppliers ethically, but I also think a big reason the cheap, made in China products are so popular in the US is because our own wages are lacking. Someone making minimum wage would have to dedicate 4-6 hours of pay to afford a higher end, more “ethical” foundation. If you’re struggling financially, which half of America is, you may not have the option to shop “ethically”. My wish is for brands to be more transparent about their labor policies, and for us to all hold them more accountable.

[JennaRevels]

My college biology prof once stated something along the lines of, “Nothing is completely cruelty-free; at some point in time, the ingredients in every product you consume was tested on animals.” I think about that a lot when “cruelty-free” issues pop up.

[BridgetteTurco]

Great insight Jen! It's such a complex topic with so many different opinions/reasons people think certain brands & products are cruelty-free

[gingerbreadcake]

People say that because animal is defined two ways. For Linnaean classification purposes that fall with the animals, they are anamalia. For research purposes they split animals into vertebrates and non-vertebrates. Vertebrates get more protections and rules on use. Insects, because they do not have a backbone are considered not animals by the committees that oversee animal research studies at institutions. This is becoming an ethical problem recently because things like octopuses, which are highly intelligent, do not get the same protections as other animals because they are not vertebrates. So, there is a large push in the scientific communities to reevaluate the criteria for animal studies.

[lizcademy]

Throwing something else in as a thought question: which is "better"? 1) Harvesting many acres of a plant to make a few ounces of essential oil, or 2) using a small amount of synthetic ingredients to make synthetic fragrance? [This is true ... look up the amount of roses needed to get one ounce of rose absolute.]

I have the same question on leather. Is it better to use an animal skin (and the rest of the animal for other uses) or use petroleum to make "vegan leather"?

There are no easy answers here.

[kagitsune]

I'm kind of nihilistic about animal testing or byproducts in my products. Since I'm an omnivore, I cannot pass moral judgement on one part of my life and not another. But thinking on the other hand, I can also try to make cruelty-free choices in the luxury/hobby parts of my life, such as makeup and fashion, unlike the functional necessities of food and medicine. (I have some health conditions that require me to eat meat in order to get all my nutrients.)

[AudraReinsOfficial]

I'm so glad you're talking about this! When I got into beauty, I thought there was something special about cruelty free and would proudly(also confusedly) spout that a product was cruelty free...until I looked into it. Once I realized that somewhere along the way, cruelty free is become synonymous with vegan, as well as how there can still be cruelty, animal or otherwise, AND how the slight exclusivity that eliminated those who loved makeup from participating in the "movement" bc they were either not financially able or didn't have access. I stopped touting cruelty free as a positive for a product. Great job as always!💙💚

[AngelicaRodriguez-fwtt]

I only shop cruelty free and already knew most of this information and completely agree with everything you said it was spot on