The world of cruelty-free products can be a daunting one to enter as it is not always easy to tell off first glance which brands are and are not cruelty-free. Not every brand will have it on their packaging as some may not feel it necessary to advertise it or they may be awaiting their leaping bunny logo to be accredited to them. Whatever the reason may be, we are here to let you know of some brands who are cruelty-free and are making a big difference to people’s lives and the world in this article.
There are many brands that fit this description; however, we will provide a small list of the main ones we wish to spotlight. These brands are highly ethical in that they are cruelty-free and vegan and take part in fascinating initiatives and practices to make the world a better place.
Lush
Photo Credit: Lush Instagram
Since most think of Lush when they hear the phrase ‘cruelty-free’, it seems that there is no better place to begin! Lush have a few shops around the world, they market themselves as a handmade cosmetics brand. They sell a variety of products from bath products to makeup and cater to males and females. In addition to being both cruelty-free and vegan, their products are packed with natural ingredients. Alongside being cruelty-free, the brand is strongly vocal about the protection of our environment. They centre some of their campaigns around environmental issues and they are vocal about the issue of plastic and how it impacts our environment. To combat this, Lush tells customers that if they return five pots after finishing their Lush products, they will receive a free face mask. In addition, they sell some of their ranges without any plastic packaging. On their website, they say that they are a company who is all about not exploiting people, animals, or the planet.
The Body Shop
The Body Shop are another brand with strong ethical standards regarding being cruelty free. They are similar to Lush in that they sell a variety of products from bath products to makeup and cater to males and females. In addition, the Body Shop has carried out campaigns surrounding the banning of animal testing since 1989. They first began campaigning in the UK and then took their fight to the EU and now they are setting their sights on the UN where they plan to ban animal testing forever. They greatly help local communities by pioneering fair trade in the beauty industry which also means more raw ingredients in our products. They are also committed to being a global sustainable business and care about the protection of the environment. They are keen to tackle the plastic crisis by spreading awareness and helping small communities. On their website, they say that they are empowered to drive social change and empower people also.
Dr Botanicals
Photo Credit: Dr Botanicals Instagram
Another cruelty-free brand that deserves a spotlight is Dr Botanicals. It is a vegan and cruelty-free natural skin care brand. It is both organic and botanic. It was founded by Richard Walker in 2013 who is a skincare pioneer. He is in a group called Skin Research who have created 900 skincare formulations. He says on his website that, “Natural skincare is the fastest growing segment in the beauty industry. We went one step further and created a natural, vegan and cruelty-free line”. Richard Walker is making a big impact in the beauty industry by offering not only vegan and cruelty-free alternatives but providing natural ingredients to help people.
Shea Moisture
Shea Moisture are another cruelty-free brand that deserve a spotlight. They vow never to test their products on animals and say that they have been testing their products on their family for four generations. They sell a variety of products from hair and skincare to men’s and baby products. They are family owned and operated and they use certified organic, natural, and fair-trade ingredients. In addition, their products are free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, formaldehyde, petroleum, and phthalates.
Their products are also sustainably produced. They also have programs and opportunities to help people. For example, one of their programs is called the ‘Babson Scholarship’ and it is a scholarship program that empowers young girls in high school or secondary schools to learn about the skills needed to become a successful entrepreneur. It also works as a community program as it connects people from around the world. They also say on their website that if you are a small minority business owner, they want to hear from you to help your business grow.
Fruit of the Earth
Fruit of the Earth are indeed a cruelty-free brand that help many people by providing not only natural products but blog articles about how to use them for skincare routine, health and wellbeing. The company was founded in 1980 and is family owned and run. The company is based in Texas but sells products online so that their products are accessible to everyone. They are currently one of the largest and most respected producers of skin, sun care and health products around the world. They began their company selling aloe vera products and this has greatly expanded since. Their mission is to create effective and natural-inspired formulations. The brand really care about providing their customers with good and natural ingredients and they want customers to have awareness of exactly where the ingredients come from.
Their ingredients are ethically sourced from fair trade producers and they formulate all their products in house to ensure that the best ingredients are going into their products. Fruit of the Earth has also had a big impact on communities. Since the beginning of the company venture, their goal has been to give back to the community by supporting both local and national charity causes. For example, hurricane relief and sponsoring US ski teams. They also actively implement environmentally friendly practices in their business operations. On their website, they say that their use of recyclable packaging has resulted in 3,234,000 gallons of water being saved, 7,854 trees being saved, 462 tons of CO2 emissions being prevented, 1,848,000 kilowatt hours of power being saved and 1,624.6 cubic yards of waste being diverted from landfills.
A Round of Applause for These Brands
This is just a small list of the cruelty-free brands out there. As you have learned from reading this article, these cruelty-free brands make differences to people lives, both big and small. From providing people with natural ingredients for better skin and more confidence to helping their local communities. This article also illustrated how these companies not only have cruelty-free practices but also have sustainability practices and community practices too. From having environmentally friendly practices that helps to reduce the impact their business model will have on the environment to supporting fair trade and charity causes. So, go check these brands out for yourself to learn more about what they are doing to help and make a difference to peoples lives. In saying all of this, there are many more brands out there who are cruelty-free and are making huge differences to people’s lives. So, maybe go on a research journey and find some more great and ethical brands.
