Bloggie Wednesday: Do You Blog About Cosmetics That Are Tested On Animals?

Bloggie Wednesday: Do You Blog About Cosmetics That Are Tested On Animals?

Believe it or not, this blog post has been sitting in my Drafts folder for four years. FOUR YEARS! That’s how hard it is for me to decide on whether to publish it or not. Cruelty-free cosmetics have evolved greatly since then and while I haven’t moved completely to writing about cruelty-free beauty products only, I’m glad that I’m using more officially certified cruelty-free beauty products these days than I did back then.

It would be an insult to your intelligence to say that I only use cruelty-free cosmetics when clearly, in the products that I use and review on BA, I don’t. This is a hard topic to write about but it’s the elephant in the room that beauty bloggers don’t talk about.

I think it’s time we talk about it.

Gee, talk about opening a can of worms. This is the sort of topic that can either go well or spiral downwards quicker than you can say “how do you do”. Nevertheless, it’s a topic that has been on my mind for a while now and I believe this is something we can all sit down and discuss like adults without throwing rotten eggs at each other.

If you’ve been reading Beautyholics Anonymous for more than a week, you’ll know that, straight up, yes I do blog about products from brands that do test on animals. I don’t deny it; heck it’s out there for the world to see. Does this mean I’m completely fine with animal testing in cosmetics?

No, it does not. I’m not fine with it. I’m not fine with the fact that with such great advancements in technology that can not only send men to space, there’s already space tourism, that we still have to test cosmetics on animals. Fifteen years ago, I was using a heavy brick of a mobile phone that’s in black and white with soft rubber keypads. Now all I need to do is literally tell my phone to call someone without me needing to touch the screen if I don’t want to. So why is it that people can do all this, yet animal testing still cannot be completely eradicated?

That question continues to baffle me greatly. The big beauty brand that is well-known for testing on animals have researched the ability to grow skin. When this will truly take effect and stop testing on animals altogether, time will tell.

And then there’s that C-word. China. It’s a fact that if a beauty brand wants to spread its wings to market and sell in China, their beauty products must be tested on animals first before it goes out to the public. It’s a ridiculously archaic law, but the law nevertheless. China has a huge market and it’s only natural for brands to be attracted to that big pot of gold. A pot of gold that comes at a cost.

Having said all that, what does it mean for me as a beauty blogger? Do I stop using and writing about products that were tested on animals? This is why I had such a dilemma publishing this post because it’s hypocritical for me to say I’m not fine with animal testing yet I still use products that are tested on animals.

It all comes down to choices we make and where we draw the line. I made the choice to use them and write about them. I chose to tell you what I thought of each beauty product and sometimes that includes products from brands who do test on animals. I would like to transition fully to cruelty-free products some day. Perhaps by then, animal testing would be banned for good everywhere. The EU has already banned animal testing on cosmetics. Hopefully it wouldn’t take very long for the rest of the countries to follow suit.

I don’t see it as “well, someone’s gotta do it”. It’s all part of the education process. I also write about products that aren’t tested on animals and they’re every bit as good as the ones that are. I highly respect bloggers who would only write about beauty products that aren’t tested on animals and with ethically-sourced ingredients. It’s a niche that more people should get into. Perhaps in future, it may be something Beautyholics Anonymous will do, and that’s to only write about beauty products from brands which do not test on animals. At this moment in time, I’ll be very honest with you … I’m just not there yet.

Like I said, there are plenty of great beauty blogs out there that only write about cruelty-free cosmetics. Phyrra is one of them. So is Cruelty-Free Kitty. My Beauty Bunny is another one. I admire bloggers who are still able to push the boundaries and yet stick to their beliefs. What I cannot stand, however, are the ones who only harp on and on about animal cruelty on their blogs and social media, berating those who do not share their beliefs, complain constantly about how bad the beauty industry is for testing on animals and yet still blatantly use cosmetics that do test on animals simply because the items were sent to them by said brands for free. It’s this sort of hypocrisy that gets my knickers in a twist.

If you’re a beauty blogger, do you use and write about beauty products from brands that allow animal testing? If you’re a reader who doesn’t blog, does reading about said beauty products bother you? I’d love to know your thoughts on this matter.

Note: As this is a sensitive topic, I request that you play nice in the comments. Constructive criticism and negative feedback are accepted but no nastiness, please. We can all surely agree to disagree.

Bloggie Wednesdays is a series of articles just on blogging. They contain tips, how-tos, discussions about anything and everything you need to know about blogging and how we can be better bloggers. If you have any suggestions, tips and tricks about blogging you would like to share with us, or if you have any questions you would like me to address, please let us know in the comments.
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12 comments… add one
  1. LeGeeque

    Thanks for being so open about this. Being bunny-friendly is not an on-off switch that we can just flick to and be entirely 100% bunny-friendly. It’s a process, it’s a journey and we take baby steps to get there. I don’t see what’s wrong with taking small steps to be eventually bunny-friendly.

    I’m really curious, though, why would China require all cosmetics be tested on animals first? What’s the point? With China harping on and on about being a first world country, one would expect the behaviour to go with that sort of claim. Or is that too much of an expectation?

    1. Tine

      You’d be amazed at how many would disagree into taking small steps to become bunny friendly. To them, it’s black and white. It’s either you do it or you don’t. And if you don’t, you animal killer you. That’s why it took me so long to even want to publish this even though I wrote it 4 years ago.

      Unfortunately, it’s their law to apparently “protect” their people in making sure that cosmetics sold in China are safe to use. Like I said, it’s a very archaic law. Technology these days can still do safe testing without needing to harm animals (unfortunately, this still does not apply to meds). As long as the beauty product is sold in China, it has to go through animal testing. If it’s sold online and posted to China, then it doesn’t. This infographic makes it quite clear: http://elephant-room.org/understanding-china-animal-testing-laws/

  2. Mel

    Thanks for writing this post Tine! I particularly appreciated the last couple sentences. I have a friend on Facebook who became a vegan a couple years ago, and always harps on about it and berates people who don’t share her views.

    I myself would not like to use products tested on animals. I find it so limiting though, especially because of China. And, as a good friend of mine explained to me, just because one “brand” or product isn’t tested on animals, doesn’t mean the money you spend on that product isn’t going towards a company that tests on animals. Eg: Big Company A has several brands underneath it like: Brand A, Brand B, etc.. Brand A’s products are tested on animals, brand B’s are not. Buying from brand B still gives money to company that tests on animals and is still “supporting” those companies. There is a list of companies that are 100% free of animal testing for Australia here: http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/cruelty-free-list/. And it is so darn limiting! But I’m thankful for brands like Australis and e.l.f.. Also, even if a products says on the box that it is cruelty free, doesn’t mean its true. So, this list is the only 100% legit list I know of.

    Hope my long rant made sense 😛

    I myself can’t bear to swap to only cruelty free products. I think I have similar views to yourself.

    I also own a much loved bunny and the photo you chose pulled at my heart strings!!

    1. Tine

      Haha yes your rant totally makes sense. 😀

      I have no issues with people becoming vegans. It’s not my sort of lifestyle but that’s just me. But I cannot, cannot stand it when some of them berate others for not subscribing to that lifestyle, calling them animal killers for using non-bunny-approved beauty products WHEN AT THE SAME TIME, they’re using the same products! Oh it shits me, it really does.

      As for choosing cruelty-free cosmetics and the way companies work, yeah I know what you mean. Profits from umbrella brands are distributed to other brands during annual budgets. Until the entire company switches to cruelty-free, reality is animal-tested cosmetics could still go on.

  3. Efrain

    I really have ideological problems with this topic as I think it’s awful animal testing but I still use products that aren’t cruelty free and it would be really hypocrite to blame industry and people when I’m part of the problem.

    Right now I think is pretty impossible to become cruelty free due to living in Mexico and the lack of options available, but if I find a product that isn’t tested on animals and works for me is way better than one tested that also works for my skin.

    Is good to talk about these topics Tine so well done. In this case I really hope animal testing in cosmetics ends soon.
    Efrain recently posted..Sleek Blush By 3 in Californ.I.A. reviewMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Thanks Efra. It’s something a lot of beauty bloggers don’t talk about. I understand not wanting to open a can of worms. I mean, who wants to proudly announce “Hello I’m so-and-so and I proudly use this mascara that has been tested on rabbits!”?

  4. Karyn

    This is exactly the reason I stopped making YT videos. I did some research on my favourite Hakuhodo brush, only to find that Blue Squirrel was farmed for the purposes of my favourite blending brush. I had naively always thought the animal hair was used from otherwise discarded carcasses, but we don’t eat squirrel do we!? I now buy only cruelty free and vegan brushes. I don’t judge others though. We all make our own choices in life. I really miss some products 🙁
    Karyn recently posted..10 Substances To Avoid in CosmeticsMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Yeah Hakuhodo brushes do use blue squirrel hair. I didn’t know that they were farmed just for the purpose of removing their fur for brushes. Where do those squirrels go?! :O Wait, don’t tell me. I don’t think I can ever look at my brushes again the same way if I do. 🙁 🙁 🙁

  5. MonicaP

    This is a dilemma that I think about all the time. While I’ve tried to switch to mostly cruelty free products, there are some that I can’t seem to replace. I love Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Lite foundation and I haven’t found a cruelty free brand that is its equal.

    And I agree that it shouldn’t be an all or nothing transition .. if you can replace the product, then do it .. but beauty bloggers shouldn’t be judgmental about other gal’s choices.

    Monica.
    MonicaP recently posted..Pants so comfortable you’ll jump for joyMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Thanks for putting it succinctly, Monica. My sentiments exactly! Beauty bloggers shouldn’t be judgmental of other gal’s choices. It’s not black and white.

  6. Suzi @ Cruelty-Free Kitty

    Hi Tine! Thank you for mentioning me! I’m a little late to the party, but here’s my 2 cents. I don’t like hypocrisy either and I don’t like any type of extremism. Having said that, I’ve never blamed bloggers or simply “consumers” that purchase from companies that test on animals in the first place. And I don’t blame the brands themselves for seeking higher profits, because that’s the nature of a business. I do however blame the laws and the governments that still allow animal testing, or even worse, mandate it.

    I think we’d have a lot more to gain (we as in the cruelty-free bloggers) if we focused on the laws more than boycotting brands or being judgemental towards those who don’t change their buying habits.
    Suzi @ Cruelty-Free Kitty recently posted..Why Marc Jacobs Beauty Is Cruelty-Free (An Overview Of Licensing In The Beauty Industry)My Profile

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