You may have assumed that most major cosmetics companies were on board with alternatives to cruelty to animals, but there are some that still pay to poison and kill. It isn’t always easy to know which brands are completely cruelty-free. For instance, L’Oréal, which doesn’t test on animals in the United States, pays for deadly testing in China, where archaic and painful experiments on animals are required for cosmetics.
Here are some of the top cosmetics brands whose products are still tested on animals—and some cruelty-free brands that you should support instead:
1. Avon
Remember the “Avon lady” who sold makeup door to door? Well, we think that sounds about as old-fashioned as the idea of testing cosmetics on animals. If you were using Avon’s eyeliner, try Jordana Cosmetics Fabuliner Bold Felt-Tip Liquid Eyeliner.
Celebrating the joy of brands: Brand Nepal 2021
2. Benefit
Benefit markets its brand by using innocent 1950s imagery and a lot of pink. We wish consumers could see that tests on animals are being conducted behind the scenes. If you were using Benefit’s blush, try Too Faced Sweethearts Blush instead.
3. Clinique
Animals don’t worry about wrinkles, and we shouldn’t poison and kill them for our night cream. If you were using Clinique’s eye cream, switch to tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment.
4. Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder is the parent company of many subsidiaries. And while Smashbox and Aveda are both cruelty-free, others that it owns aren’t—including its namesake brand, as well as Clinique, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, and Origins, among others. If you were using any of these cruel brands’ concealers, try the NYX Cosmetics HD Photogenic Concealer Wand instead.
5. Makeup Forever
Many people started buying Makeup Forever because it carries theatrical-quality makeup, which can look brighter and be longer lasting. Nowadays, high-pigment makeup isn’t hard to come by, and you can choose from many compassionate options. If you were using Makeup Forever’s eyeshadow, try ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Here We Go Again.
6. Maybelline
We definitely think that you were born with it and don’t need Maybelline’s cruelly produced items to feel pretty. If you were using its mascara, try wet n wild MegaVolume Mascara instead.
7. OPI
OPI is owned by Coty, Inc., and was removed from our cruelty-free list when we discovered that it had abandoned its cruelty-free policy and was selling in China. If you were using its polish, make the bunnies happy and try Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish instead.
8. Victoria’s Secret
After years of upholding its policy never to test on animals, the company has let down compassionate consumers everywhere by choosing profits over principles. Victoria’s Secret expanded sales to China and began paying for cruel and deadly tests on animals in order to sell its products there. Try any of the cruelty-free perfumes on this list instead of Victoria’s Secret perfume.
