By: Evangeline Jennings
When it comes to buying beauty products, it’s finally getting easier to find the vegan products we need. However, because companies want to gain a share of the very profitable market for vegan products, the way they market their offerings can be a bit misleading. I used to think that the “cruelty-free” label automatically meant vegan, because surely the cruelty of killing an animal and using its parts to create the product itself is what they are referring to, right? Wrong. Let’s break it down so you know exactly what to look for the next time you are looking for a truly vegan product.
Vegan Products
When a product is labeled as a certified vegan product, that product does not contain any animal derived ingredients. There are products that are vegan but have not received the certification, however, you would really need to read the ingredients to be certain. The stamp of certification for vegan products is the best way to know for sure. While these products are vegan, they may have been tested on animals. So, if you are looking for products that have not harmed or exploited animals in any way, you should look for products that are both vegan and cruelty free. Look for this label on products indicating they are certified as 100% vegan:
Cruelty-Free Products
Cruelty-free is not really as compassionate as it sounds. When a product is labeled as cruelty-free, that just means they have not tested the final product on helpless animals. But unfortunately, the product does not have to be vegan to obtain this label. The cruelty of animals being killed so their tissues can be used as ingredients is overlooked. While it is a step in the right direction for beauty companies to end animal testing, there is still a long way to go. Look for one of these labels on products to indicate that they are certified as being cruelty-free:
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