Thinking cruelty-free is the way to go? Well, it’s certainly hard to argue that animal testing is a necessity in this day and age. Here, we talk to some experts in the field about why cruelty-free is the only choice for their brands:
“One of the most important principles we uphold as a company is to do no harm. We not only select pure ingredients that will reflect this principle through our skincare, but we also keep this principle mindfully for all interactions with living beings. We do not test products or buy ingredients that have been tested on animals.”
—Judith Bourgeois, education manager, Shankara
“As an organic brand, an ethical and sustainable philosophy has been the heart of our business from the very start. Although this trend has had a positive impact in terms of customer knowledge, it was always an influential factor, and we have been cruelty-free prior to the trend. The EU Cosmetic Directive in Europe prevents the testing of cosmetic products on animals, which is a progressive step forward. As a company, we have made the choice not to distribute into countries where animal testing is a requirement.”
—Emma Roberts, head of sales and business development, Voya
“We have been cruelty-free since day one. For me, it was a very easy decision. I’ve always felt that animals contribute so much to our lives and that we owe them respect and care, especially the ones we domesticate that are now completely dependent on us. Nobody asks them for permission to perform unspeakable experiments on them. Like children, they are completely vulnerable. This pledge to produce cruelty-free makeup and skincare has always been at the core of our brand. We believe it is the right choice an essential element in our holistic approach to creating responsible, healthy beauty. After all, what’s the point of increasing sales if you can’t sleep at night?”
—Jane Iredale, founder and president, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics
“We have always believed that consumers are smart and mindful, so we’ve based our product development on what’s best for our product quality, our community, and our environment. As an animal lover with two horses and two dachshunds, animal testing was never an option. The humane aspect of our ingredient sourcing and manufacturing, from fair trade to cruelty-free, has always been part of our DNA.”
—Barbara Close, founder and CEO, Naturopathica
“Almost our entire staff has animals and feels strongly that there is no need to test on animals to make safe and effective skincare products.”
—Ellen Clark, founder and CEO, Control Corrective
“Since the beginning, Luzern has prided itself on being a socially conscious brand, and therefore, we have never used animaltested ingredients or done any kind of animal testing. We believe skincare products and packaging should be clean and pure and have the least negative impact on the health of our clients, the earth, and all living things.”
—Jennifer Herbert-Coste, cofounder and CEO, Luzern Laboratories
“These days, consumers are becoming more aware of the beauty industry’s interactions with and the impact on the environment and wildlife. This heightened sensitivity perfectly matches our company’s ethical belief in supporting the fair treatment of animals, so we have made it a point to put an emphasis on our support of cruelty-free beauty.”
—Cyndi M. Frick, cofounder, PH Simply by Paris Honoré
“Both of our clean skincare brands, Silk Therapeutics and LabGrab, are cruelty-free. However, the decision to be cruelty-free is not clear cut—testing on animals should be avoided wherever possible. But, testing on animals is typically recommended and used to avoid exposing humans to unproven technologies that may be harmful. In the U.S., there are essentially no regulations in regard to safety testing, allowing uninformed brands to internally set safety standards themselves. Therefore, it is our mission to provide confidence in safety and avoid testing on animals through our formulations and the history of safety associated with the use of pure silk on the skin for more than 5,000 years.”
—Greg Altman, Ph.D., CEO, Silk Therapeutics
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