With the evolution of social media and access to creative outlets such as YouTube, there’s no doubt the makeup industry is booming with eager young adults looking for ways to express themselves or recommendations for quality products. Because of the global efforts surrounding recent brands who have taken a stand against animal testing the question of why some brands are continuing to harm innocent animals is now beginning to affect consumers and their choice of products.
Approximately 100,000 – 200,000 animals suffer and die from cosmetic testing every year world-wide and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act does not require that testing on animals be done to prove that cosmetics are safe for consumers. This law makes it easy for companies to not disclose information on whether or not they are testing on animals. This leaves it in consumers’ hands to do background research on their own and to question if the products they are buying are environmentally and ethically conscious. As a consumer, we should care about where our money goes, the brands we support, and the ethical decisions made by companies. It’s also important to be aware that this problem does not only exist within the cosmetic industry, but others as well. These include fragrances, laundry products, and hygiene and dye companies that all test on animals and research must be done to be an informed, responsible buyer.
Many consumers believe supporting companies that follow similar morals and ethics to their own comes with a high price tag. This is not true. There are many drugstore makeup brands that label themselves as “animal friendly”.
There are many companies who are affordable, animal friendly, and produce high quality makeup products in- cluding: EcoTools, Milani, NYX, E.l.f etc.