Buyer Beware: A "Cruelty-Free" Label Does Not Necessarily Mean a Cruelty Free Business

"Cruelty-free" labels on cosmetic products are certainly a reasonably dependable indication that the product was not tested on a laboratory animal. However, it does not mean that other products released by that same company are also cruelty free. Most companies will not directly lie to consumers about their animal testing policies because if discovered, their credibility and profit gain will likely plummet. But many of them do count on the consumer assumption that a policy on one product will hold truth on all, thus successfully deceiving consumers without legal liability.

But there is some good news for our defenders of the defenseless. A new standard for animal cruelty-free companies was established by a coalition of nine animal protection organizations to guarantee that products are truly not tested on animals. Robyn Wesley, the cruelty-free product campaign coordinator for PETA says the organizations have banded together to develop their own beauty product labeling system. The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics was developed with a standardized method for labeling cruelty-free beauty products. This includes being tested by either the product manufacturer or any associated contract testing labs. Companies who comply with this standard are required to receive, from all of their suppliers and intermediary agents, written certification that no ingredient, formulation or product supplied has been tested on animals. If approved they will be issued a cruelty-free standard by the coalition and will be allowed to place a cruelty-free label on product packaging.

Still, even though one product contains a cruelty-free label, other items from the same maker could have still been experimented on animals. Even the new stricter standard does not specify that a cosmetic be free of animal byproducts before being given the cruelty-free label. For example, Clairol does not test their Herbal Essences range on animals, but the rest of their cosmetic line still uses animal experimentation. A reliable source to refer to when searching for animal cruelty-free companies is compiled by PETA, which updates a list every two to four months on companies that do not test animals.

So remember, if you think that you’re in the clear just because you have purchased a cruelty-free product from a company in the past, do your research; you may not be. Your new desired cosmetic may not be as animal-friendly as you would hope.

- Samantha Manning