Is Cruelty Free really a big deal?

In short, yes. Often, 'Cruelty Free' goes hand in hand with 'Vegan' and sometimes even 'Organic', but these terms mean totally different things, and legally there's no strict guidance on how they are used. Therefore, companies can describe a product as Vegan because it has no animal bits in it, but if you were to assume that also meant it hadn't been tested on animals, then you'd be wrong.

Unless a company specifies that it's products are cruelty free, it's safe to assume they're not. You can contact your favourite company to find out, but sometimes a multitude of sins can be hidden by parent companies, and different trading names.

We specify that ALL of our products are vegan, cruelty free, and as natural as they can be, with no nasties. But companies as transparent as us are few and far between. If you search for Cruelty Free companies in your country you'll probably find a lovely helpful blogger has put a list together for you - these lists are ever changing - as they add new companies, and maybe (sadly) remove some. So if you find a good updated list that's relevant for you, bookmark it, and check it regularly. And if there's a company that you think deserves to be on the list, let that lovely blogger know - they can't find every hidden gem.

As well as 'Cruelty Free' being used with abandon, it can also be used in different ways. Some companies use it because that particular product has not been / is no longer tested on animals. But other products by the same company might be - so they lead you into a false sense of security. That's bad news for the conscious shopper.

You probably think that animal testing doesn't exist any more, and you'd be partly right. Animal testing for cosmetics is banned in the EU, and this goes for cosmetics that have been tested outside the EU too - they can't be sold here. This is fantastic news, but it's about time every country followed suit.

We're really proud of the fact that we are totally cruelty free. All our ingredients are cruelty free, and the final products are too. We do of course test products on willing human victims, but only once they've been checked over by our friendly lab technicians first. If you ever want to help us test stuff, keep your eyes peeled on our social media accounts - that will be where we ask for help.

And finally, to answer your question - is cruelty free a big deal? Just look at this face, and tell me it's ok to rub stuff all over it to check for a reaction. Apart from anything else, the last time I checked, my body was pretty different to his, so what exactly does it achieve?

This is Fairycat. He works in our packing department. The tongue is because we told him to get back to work.

xox