If you are someone who loves animals and cannot see a four-legged creature being harmed in any way, it is time to extend your compassion to the most exploited and vulnerable among us by pledging to change your shopping habits and switching to cruelty-free products.
Take the recent World Kindness Day as a reminder of how a small act of kindness and responsible choice can save the lives of countless animals. For starters, you can stop buying products that are tested on animals and select from a huge selection of cruelty-free cosmetics, toiletries and other products.
“Cruelty-free means no animals were harmed in creating the final products,” says Disha Singh, founder and CEO of the cruelty-free and PETA-approved vegan brand, Zouk. While Mansi Vyas, co-founder of the vegan and cruelty-free brand Azafran, shares, “It derives from the testing process and not the ingredients, which means it is likely for a cruelty-free product to contain non-vegan ingredients, such as beeswax, lanolin, collagen, albumen, carmine, or gelatin.”
But often, conscious consumers tend to get confused between cruelty-free and vegan brands and regard both as the same. However, it may seem like there is a thin line between the two, but that is not really the case. Damanjit Kohli and Karishma Sahni, founders of Crazy Owl explain, “Cruelty-free means that the product was developed without any testing on animals, while being vegan means that the product does not include any animal-derived ingredients.”
Vyas further adds, “While searching for a vegan product, the ingredient list will be your best companion. Cruelty-free items will have ‘no animal testing’ tag or a certified cruelty-free emblem on the label.” But today, most brands that are cruelty-free also ensure that no animal-based ingredients or materials are used as well, says Singh.
A movement that has just begun in India and will become a mainstay in the next three to five years can be credited to the pandemic.“Cruelty-free is a bold choice for Indian brands. There was a strong belief that Indian consumers are only price conscious and don’t care about anything else but the pandemic proved that wrong,” shares Singh of Zouk.
Over the years, there has been a change in the beauty industry. Kohli says, “In the last two years, the mindset of the consumers has become more conscious of the brands they use and the products they apply. They are also opting for brands that stand for a larger brand purpose.” Adding to it, Vyas shares, “Many consumers opted for homegrown products that were all natural and resulted in combating the root cause of key problems. This gave a real shift to all natural & cruelty free products.”
To make your shift to cruelty-free products easier, read on to know the tips as shared by the above founders:
1. If you are looking to cut all animal-derived items out of your life, always look for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) certified products when you shop.
2. Don’t purchase anything that contains components like collagen, squalane, milk, honey, lanolin, or beeswax, as they come straight from animals and should always be avoided when shopping for beauty, skincare, and personal care products.
3. When opting for vegan beauty and skincare products, look for the bunny symbol on their packaging. The three bunny logos are the leaping bunny logo, PETA’s caring consumer bunny and the choose cruelty-free rabbit. It ensures that all products bearing its symbol are cruelty-free and don’t involve animal testing or contain ingredients from third parties that perform animal testing.
4. Check PETA’s cruelty-free list, which offers a comprehensive list of products that are entirely cruelty-free.
