If you like smothering yourself in lovely skincare products and can’t leave the house without makeup on but also think animals are just the greatest, then you might one day face the same dilemma I did. I was always aware that most cosmetics are tested on animals, but I never thought about it too much until one day it really started to bother me. I suddenly couldn’t deal with the fact that animals were being tortured just so that I could look nice(r). So I did some research and discovered Choose Cruelty Free, a not for profit Australian organisation that accredits cruelty free companies. You can recognise products that are CCF certified by looking for their rabbit logo.
Gradually, I started to phase in CCF products into my cosmetics collection, and a couple of years later, everything I use (apart from my toothpaste) is cruelty free. It was a surprisingly easy transition to make, and I can’t say I miss any of my old products at all. To help get you started on your journey to guilt-free cosmetics, here are a few of my favourite cruelty free brands:
Go-To
I started using a few of Zoe Foster Blake’s range of skincare products a few months back and since then my skin has been feeling as soft and velvety as a cruelty free bunny’s ears. They look and smell like peaches and make you feel happy.
Sukin
Sukin has a wide range of affordable cleansers, moisturisers and haircare that you can find in Priceline and pharmacies. For hardcore cruelty free enthusiasts, their natural deodorant is the best CF one I’ve found so far.
Australis
Apart from owning some of their eyeshadow in highschool I never paid much attention to Australis, but it’s now my go to makeup brand since I found out it’s a) 100% cruelty free, b) affordable and c) actually pretty great. They sell all the makeup you could ever need and have some of the best nail polish colours around.
A’kin
This year, when I became a high flying full time worker, I started using A’kin shampoo and conditioner and I’m in love. They’re sulphate free so they don’t foam up like other shampoos which seems weird at first, but I never realised it was possible for my curly/frizzy hair to be so smooth and healthy looking. Plus the bottles look pretty flash in the bathroom and they smell like, totes amazeballs.
Lush
You can always smell a Lush store from a kilometre away and you know you’re in for a treat. Their products are often weird and wonderful combinations of bright colours, unique smells and textures, with the odd bit of glitter, seaweed and foodstuffs thrown in. Love ‘em.
Check out the Choose Cruelty Free website for a full list of accredited companies and look out for the cruelty free rabbit logo.
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