(Featured image: rescued rats, adopted after being discarded by a laboratory. Credit Tatiana Bulyonkova, CC BY-SA 2.0 / cropped)
Be careful of deception when shopping for cruelty free products. I’ve been advised by the organization Choose Cruelty Free in Australia that any company can state on their packaging that they don’t test on animals regardless if it is true or not. There is no law against it. I know… pathetic isn’t it?!!
The only way to be 100% sure is to buy from companies endorsed by CCF, as they are completely thorough and strict with who they allow on their list. They told me that even PETA’s list is not as reliable, as they are very lax with verifying that the companies on their list are indeed cruelty free (including suppliers, ingredients, etc.) In saying this, it’s still better to choose from PETA’s list than no list at all. I’m not aware of the endorsement procedures of other cruelty free lists, but you may want to check ones you are using to ensure their process is up to scratch.
I shop strictly from the CCF list now. It narrows down selection a lot, but l’d rather have less selection and be sure l’m not hurting our furry friends.
Here’s the CCF list. Download the app or ask them to send you their printed list. You can contact them with queries about any products. They are so keen to help consumers trying to do the right thing.
http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/cruelty-free-list/
