Cruelty-Free Beauty

The shampoo that does not burn your eyes, the fairness cream that makes you look gorgeous or that lipstick that gives you instant pout may have a darker side to them too. Most cosmetics makers use brutal animal testing to check the effects of their beauty products, like the levels of acidity or the side effects on skin, to name a few, before launching their products in the markets. It is a known fact that lipsticks contain fish scales which make them more glossy and shiny. However, here I am more focused on products that are tested on animals rather than those that contain their parts in any way. Such things take place at high levels and that too quite discreetly so we cannot be sure completely. To be on the safer side, it is always better to go for beauty brands that are cruelty free and if possible, vegan as well.

A few days back, I and my blog friend Katrin discussed about the right cosmetic brand and animal testing. Well, the term ‘right’ for us means a brand that is completely cruelty free. Since then I have been reading quite a lot about this topic and fortunately have found a few brands that are not only cruelty free but vegan and chemical free too!

Animal testing is one of the cruelest things one can do to the hapless creatures. To check the levels of burning sensations of shampoos and conditioners, they are commonly poured into the eyes of rabbits, puppies, kittens and chickens leading to extreme pain and mostly permanent blindness. Bleaches and creams are tested on their skin that leads to severe skin irritations. These creatures experience a living hell and brutal torture that ends only with their lives. If this is the cost of beauty, it is better to ditch such cosmetics and opt for natural products that are gaining fast foothold in India. We do not need to compromise on quality because that is the biggest concern that stops people from switching to more environment friendly cosmetics. Various herbs and natural products are far better than any chemical could be. We just need to be a bit careful and check out for a few symbols.

• This leaping bunny is a sign that the product is free of any sort of animal testing.
• This Green dot means the product is 100% vegetarian.

Before you pick that beautiful bottle that can make you look like a goddess, just close your eyes and try to remember that poor animal that suffered unending torture and died a brutal death to make you look a bit nice, that too only for some time. I believe that real beauty is just another form of kindness.

In our little ways, we can contribute much to abolish such obnoxious testing and most importantly, 

When buying will stop, killing will stop too

Images have been sourced from the Internet