Go Green with Eco-Labels: Cruelty-Free Products

Consumers whose mantra to go green includes products not tested on animals have a lot of loopholes to sort through at the store. Similar to the word "Natural" the phrases "cruelty-free" and "not tested on animals" have no legal meaning. With a rising amount of companies cashing in on the "green mega trend" consumers need to become increasingly educated to stay ahead of the marketing curveballs. Eight animal rights organizations created the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC). Together, they created the Leaping Bunny logo, a third-party certification that the product is free from animal testing.

So how, might you ask, do companies label "not tested on animals" and feel no qualms? Because there are three major stages of product development that animal cruelty may play a role and they may only be referring to one. The three stages include ingredients, formulations, and the finished product. This includes harvesting the ingredients, testing the ingredients, and producing the ingredients as possible threats to animal welfare. The Leaping Bunny certification is the only universal third party certification available for consumer products, so choose wisely when you go green.

I will not delve into the gruesome details of threats to animal welfare due to the production of personal products. If you are interested, organizations like Wild Aid focused on illegal wildlife trading and animal welfare can paint a vivid picture. With the dawn of the internet across developing nations, there has been a flood of videos revealing the real "harvesting" processes in nations with little to no regulations.

As a conscious consumer, here is a list of ingredients that are derived from animals, a key method companies use to disguise animal products: hydrolyzed collagen, stearic acid, benzoic acid, carminic acid, cetyl alcohol, glycerin, lanolin, royal jelly, and silk powder. This doesn't mean that they were harvested unethically, but it does not exclude it either. There are a few select companies that have safe, ethical, and ecological reasons for using some of these products, but these companies are typically small and can be difficult to find. To give you a glimpse into the derived process, let's take Glycerin. Glycerin is typically a by-product found during soap manufacturing that uses animal fat, the go green option is selecting vegetable glycerin. A lesser known ingredient is carminic acid, which according to Environmental Magazine requires 70,000 female cochineal beetles to be crushed in order to make one pound of red dye. Benzoic acid found in personal care products including mouthwash and deodorant is another ingredient with grey lines, as it may be plant-based but more often is harvested from vertebrates.

Best advice for the go green inspired, stay away from these derived ingredients in personal care products and check for the Leaping Bunny logo. If you want to take it a step further, veganism is an incredible way to learn about and practice a low impact lifestyle that keeps animals in mind. Visit Leaping Bunny for shopping guides, retailers, and tips for eliminating unseen animal cruelty from your ingredient list.