Blog for Bunnies: Tips for going cruelty free

'Blog for Bunnies' is part of Humane Society International's #BeCrueltyFree campaign for a global end to cosmetic animal testing. I'm not an official Blog for Bunnies Blogger, but if you've spent anytime on my blog you'll know that it's something that I care about a lot and I want to do anything I can do to spread the message a bit further. :)

I've put together a few tips to help anyone who's thinking about going cruelty free. It may seem a bit daunting at first, but you'll be surprised at how quickly it become second nature. You'll still have lots of choice, and there's no need to break the bank.

Cruelty Free Cosmetics on the UK High Street

Intro: I'm against animal testing for cosmetic products. I'm happy to write a post explaining my view in more detail, but you can get the jist if you keep on reading.

(A quick summary: I like cosmetics as much as the next person but I love animals that bit more. I also see cosmetics as luxury products, we don't need them to survive, so I don't feel like I have the right to inflict harm on another living being to produce them. The best part? Thanks to science and other safe alternatives, I don't have too!)

The Leaping Bunny Logo is found
on all certificated cruelty
free products.

Looking for products that don't conduct animal testing can be confusing. The EU has a ban on cosmetic animal testing (which is AMAZING) but (and it's a big but), this doesn't apply to companies outside the EU. A finished product sold within the EU will not have been tested on animals or contain ingredients tested on animal since March 2013. However, multinational companies can currently still conduct animal testing outside the EU for sales in other markets. The money from your purchase in the EU, can be used to fuel this.

The Good News?

There are still lots of totally cruelty free cosmetics on the UK High Street. There are even more smaller online companies. (For a comprehensive list you can visit Go Cruelty Free.org)

If you're thinking of making the switch to cruelty free, the high street is probably the easiest place to start, so I've compiled a list of my favorite brands and products to get your everyday essentials covered.