• Home
  • About
  • Beauty
  • Real Talk
  • Wellness
  • Podcast
  • YouTube

All Gussied Up

Beauty · April 5, 2018

The Best Cruelty Free Beauty Brands

Disclaimer: Some of these products are vegan AND cruelty free, but today I am focusing on the cruelty free component of cosmetics. 

What is the difference? VEGAN beauty products are free of any animal products, and CRUELTY FREE means that nothing was tested on animals. 

I am not shocked by how many brands support cruel practices…why? Because in order to sell beauty products in China, you must test on animals…which means more money for a lot of these brands. A LOT MORE. So it’s extra heartwarming to find brands that are not only cruelty free, but not as greedy. 

The biggest bummer for me was saying goodbye to MAC and NARS products. I still have and use their products from awhile back because I’m not just going to waste makeup. I will use it up, and then be done with it. 

Here are some benefits of buying cruelty free beauty products, via Cruelty Free Kitty:

1. ANIMAL TESTING IS CRUELER THAN YOU THINK.

The animals used in experiments are not only confined to small cages and inhumane conditions, but they’re also subjected to tests that are beyond cruel. They’re tortured, maimed, blinded, and even killed. They live a life of suffering and know nothing but fear. You can learn more here.

2. TECHNOLOGY BROUGHT BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL TESTING.

Some companies try to tell us that animal testing serves a purpose: tests are being performed on animals to make sure that ingredients and products are safe enough for humans. The truth is there are alternatives to animal testing for ingredient safety. For example, many companies choose to use in vitro testing, which has many advantages over animal testing. There are also cultured cell tissues as well as computer models.

3. ANIMAL TESTING FOR COSMETICS IS SIMPLY UNNECESSARY.

To formulate their products, companies can choose from a list of over 7,000 ingredients that are already proven to be safe. This just proves that they don’t need to test more ingredients on animals. The only companies that choose to test more ingredients on animals do so because they want to come up with new, innovative ingredients to increase their profits.

4. LABORARY ANIMALS ARE ANIMALS TOO.

According to the law, laboratory animals form a special category of animals and aren’t protected from animal abuse and cruelty. This view is completely unethical and nonsensical. We protect pets from abuse, but laboratory bunnies, mice, dogs, cats, and other animals don’t have the same rights. Lab animals are animals too and should be protected from cruel treatment.

5. CATS AND DOGS ARE BEING USED IN ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS.

This wasn’t a typo. Cats and dogs are commonly used in medical animal experiments. Based on statistics from 2013, 67,772 dogs and 24,221 cats were used in animal testing in the United States alone that year. In terms of dog breeds, a shockingly large number of Beagles are used, because of their docile nature. These animals are treated like laboratory animals and are deprived of the basic rights we allow our pets.

6. YOU CAN VOTE WITH YOUR MONEY.

By supporting cruelty-free companies instead of the ones who choose to test on animals, you’re sending the whole industry a message in the only language they speak: money. They know that they won’t be getting your business unless they stop testing on animals. If enough consumers boycott companies that test on animals, we can truly make a change and influence more companies to go cruelty-free.

Read more HERE.

Vegan products in particular can get a bad rap because they are known for being crunchy, perhaps not as potent or luxurious…which is really sad. However there are so many amazing vegan and cruelty free brands that are just as luxe, strong, and beautiful as those that are not. These are my die-hard go-to brands for cruelty free products:

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills

Anastasia Beverly Hills was one of the first badass makeup brands that I started to use as I made the transition away from purchasing products tested on animals. My absolute must-haves from ABH are the Brow Wiz liner (the most natural looking brow pencil out there) and the contour stick. I use both every single day that I wear makeup. 

2. Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury has become a favorite of mine over the last couple of years. Every time I try a new product from CT, I am BLOWN AWAY. Literally. This has never happened for me with any other beauty line, ever. I am seriously obsessed with every single item available. My most recent purchase was the Flawless Filter. And OMG, you guys, get it now. You won’t regret it. It gives you that Instagram filter without the filter! YASSS! I have never seen a blurring product like it before. The lipsticks are also TDF. I own 3 colors so far – my favorites being Pillow Talk and Kim K.

3. Ouai

If there’s one line of hair care products that has it all, it’s Ouai. THEY SMELL SO GOOD! The hairspray pictured above smells like Hawaii. It’s just bliss. 

4. Cover FX

Cover FX has been around for awhile, and I am a fan of their face products. Their blushes and foundations are AH-MAZING. My favorite product from Cover FX is the Custom Enhancing Drops in Moonlight, which is a liquid highlight which goes a very long way. Sometimes I’ll mix it in with my foundation for an all over glow (you only need the tiniest drop), and during the summer I love to mix it with lotion for a healthy looking GLOW. 

5. Le Labo

This is the first fragrance I’ve found that is cruelty free. Hallelujah! If you haven’t given the Le Labo line a whirl, you have to. Please try their scents. I promise you won’t be disappointed. My favorite fragrance is Santal 33 (I’m obsessed), and the Santal 26 candle is the best candle I have ever smelled. This coming from a candle lady. 

6. Herbivore Botanicals

Not only is their packing totally Instagram worthy, their products are so good. And so different too. My favorite is the Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist – I spray it on morning and night before applying my serums and creams. It smells so good, and it gives your skin a boost of hydration. 

7. 100 Percent Pure

Everything about this brand is incredible. Love that they are based in my neighborhood in the San Francisco Bay Area too. 100 Percent Pure uses fruit pigments to color their products – how freaking cool is that? The quality of their makeup is SO GOOD. Their eyeshadows are buttery, matte liptstick is the perfect consistency, and my favorite, the liquid liner is black. I mean really black. And it took a lot of scrubbing to remove it. It’s that good. 

So there ya have it. Please tell me if you use any cruelty free/vegan brands that you’re loving!

xo, Lynn

In: Beauty

sign up to the all gussied up newsletter for a good time 💃

join the club

You’ll Also Love

Faux Microbladed Brows
The Best Overnight Face Mask: Glow Recipe Watermelon Mask
The Best NATURAL Deodorants

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

Jean Jacket Obsessed

trending now

instagram

@allgussied_up

for the best PSL without the nasties… ☕️ B for the best PSL without the nasties… ☕️ 

Blend (all organic):
1 can coconut cream
1/3 cup of pumpkin purée
1/4 a cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

…a total fall/winter vibe 🍁 ☕️
a few ways that getting dressed/fashion is spiritu a few ways that getting dressed/fashion is spiritual:

1. experimenting with what you wear can help you see yourself in a different way & provokes inspiration.
2. Getting dressed in the morning is a way to have fun by expressing your beautiful soul for everyone to see. 
3. when you feel confident in what you’re wearing, you FEEL good.

my style evolution: I used to wear a lot of black & shunned expressing my femininity with the clothes that I wore because I was following trends. NO MORE. now: give me all the feminine LEWKS and colors 🌈 

HBU?
on motherhood & embracing femininity 💖 During on motherhood & embracing femininity 💖

During the first few months of my Z’s life, my body & soul felt burnt out. looking back, it was hard (and still is!) to prioritize just taking a few deep breaths each day. totally not trying to sound dramatic like so many Oprah IG captions 🤣 but it’s the truth.

during a meditation session recently, my intuition called out and invited me to reconnect with my feminine side. I realized I had abandoned much of this ‘side’. this is where the journey of activating my divine feminine energy began for me.  I’ll be sharing bits of my re-discovery here in hopes it will help you overcome the same and step in to your wholeness. 🤍

by wholeness, I mean not DOING IT ALL. being intentional & redefining the feminine experience. 

some of the words I have reclaimed include…

emotional, ease, wild, & healing 

do you have words to describe your feminine energy?
this foundation is so so good 💖 it’s like a f this foundation is so so good 💖 it’s like a filter in a bottle which is SAYING SOMETHING especially when it comes to clean beauty products. @saintcosmetics products are just as beautiful, luxurious & glam as they are clean and powerful ✨
one year ago ✨8 months pregnant & we’d just mo one year ago ✨8 months pregnant & we’d just moved from CA to AZ 🌵…& it was one of the best things we’ve ever done. 

reflecting back on the past year has put into perspective how critical taking the leap and moving to a new place has been for my personal growth and development, and if you’re thinking about moving, this is your sign to do it!

the change of environment has been SO beyond magical for many reasons…it’s taken me out of my comfort zone, given so many new and exciting experiences, and expanded social connections. 

🤍10/10 recommend, even when you’re super pregnant 😜
Gua Sha routine for a smooth forehead ✨ Gua Sha routine for a smooth forehead ✨
just the best organic, pure & hydrating shampoo & just the best organic, pure & hydrating shampoo & conditioner ✨ if you have dry hair or scalp…@innersense hydrating hairbath and conditioner combo are both so amazing ✨ I have struggled with finding a shampoo in particular that doesn’t irritate my scalp psoriasis. Even with other clean products, my scalp was not happy and it’s such a relief to find a product that WORKS that isn’t medicated or full of crap ingredients. so excited to share with y’all as I have always shared my scalp/hair journey and finally feel like my scalp is THRIVING 💖
do you have naturally wavy or curly hair? I have a do you have naturally wavy or curly hair? I have always had very wavy hair and up until now have never really embraced it. 

this look is one of my faves as it doesn’t take much time and it shows off my natural hair texture. 

…the sea salt & texturizing spray from @beautybyearth is a game changer - it does exactly what the name says AND it’s a fab clean hair product 💖

Shop it: https://amzn.to/3pS9Tlz
do you sew? 🧵 decided to buy a sewing machine, do you sew? 🧵 decided to buy a sewing machine, inspired to make Zyla some clothes and bows 🪡🎀 …I feel like either baby clothes are cheap and made of bad materials OR they’re insanely expensive for her to just grow out of them quickly. so here we are 😅 please share any tips for this newbie if you have some 🙏

join to receive glam finds & new posts

Copyright © 2023 All Gussied Up · Theme by 17th Avenue