cruelty free makeup vs problematic brands

I've recently had a revelation. Not a nice one.

It seems that, even in 2020, a hell of a lot of makeup brands- ones that you see in every drugstore and reach for every day- aren't ethically sourced or cruelty free.

It was a bit like a thread unraveling; my beloved Revlon foundation going into the 'cancelled' pile was quickly followed by the Rimmel face powder I've been loving since I was 16, and a surprisingly large list of products that I've been using for years. The thing is, I spend most of the time pointing out brands that have a problematic past and avoiding them- if I start boycotting every brand that's not cruelty free too I'll have nothing to offset my damn freckles. I can't possibly close my eyes and pretend that I don't know that some of my favourite brands are, sometimes only on occasion, testing on innocent animals.

There's no excuse in 2020- if small little indie brands can stay afloat and grow into empires without testing on animals, then why can't huge brands like Maybelline and L'Oreal follow?

Surely at this stage these big brands have the scientists that know what compounds and chemicals will harm or irritate skin? (I'll admit right now that science isn't my forte, I haven't a clue if that's how it works) In fact, a lot of these big brands test on animals simply because the Chinese government enforce laws and legislation that prohibits any cosmetic products coming into the country that haven't passed testing. So, what about cosmetics that have been produced within the country? That's a clever loophole. An example is the recent scandal with cult favourite brand Wet N Wild, who had previously been cruelty free. Its products started popping up in stores in China, despite still calling itself cruelty free. Wet N Wild don't have to be tested as its products are manufactured in China- but that's not just the end of it. While its products don't need to be tested before being put on shelves, Chinese authorities have the right to do spot-checks on Chinese-manufactured products and have them randomly tested on animals.

There's just so much yet to achieve in the war against testing, but I'm not going to contribute to unethical cosmetics. I'm only one small person with only so much influence, but it's a good place to start. From what research I've done, it seems that the best way to go forward is to take baby steps- I can't just jump into being 100% cruelty free in terms of my beauty and skincare. If I want to do this right, and set myself up for a future of fun and exciting beauty, I definitely have to take things slow. If you want to join in (the more of us the better, it's only together that big companies will listen), maybe start by checking if that eyeshadow palette or mascara comes from a brand that's listed on Leaping Bunny or Ethical Elephant.

In the meantime, make sure to follow me on Instagram @lapetitemis to see what cruelty free gems I discover! Thanks so much for reading guys, and if you have any advice for getting into cruelty free beauty make sure to comment down below!!