Although the term ‘cruelty free’ seems straightforward there are a lot of grey areas due to the fact there is no standardised legal definition of what counts as ‘cruelty free’. This gives companies licence to use the language how they best see fit for their product.
Brands can make some pretty broad claims without any major repercussions. In turn, this means the phrase can be used interchangeably with different definitions that some consumers may in fact not consider cruelty free at all. Some of these include, ingredients that have been tested on animals, but the final product has not, or the brand may have hired a third-party company to test the product on animals. Often brands who claim to be cruelty free do not test on animals unless it is required by law – which usually is the case for brands who sell in China as animal testing is a legal requirement there.
As always when shopping sustainably and ethically, it is important to do your research on a brand as, in some instances, brands may claim an item is cruelty free but this may not the case. For example, mink eyelashes can claim to be 100% cruelty free, by definition, as they are not tested on animals. However, you may wish to consider whether they are ethical aspects of this statement, as they are made from minks that are confined to small, cramped wire cages in highly unsanitary conditions.
Animal rights activists and advocacy organisations are continually striving for one unified definition of cruelty free – one which does not allow brands to use loopholes to sell to China or involve any use or harm of animals in the end to end making and selling of goods.