There was a time during the nineties and early noughties, that advertisements and announcements condemning the very notion of animal testing seemed to be everywhere. So why don’t we see it as much anymore? The truth is, animal testing is still more common than you’d think. The silver lining is that brands have been making efforts and continue to move into the cruelty free bracket one by one, not to mention the rise in new cosmetic and beauty companies that declare themselves cruelty free since launching, are on the rise. 

So, how do we define animal testing? 

Animal testing is when a scientific experiment or test is performed on a live animal (usually to their own detriment) to glean results that eventually work in favour of humans by deeming a product safe for human use. Animals are injected with, fed, exposed to or forced to breathe in substances, as well as subjected to anxiety-inducing situations or even having tissue or organs removed to provide data. Yikes. 

In terms of the beauty industry, requirements vary from country to country – for example, if you are buying a product that comes from a brand you know does not perform animal testing themselves, the country in which you are buying it may require it to be tested on animals, during which a third party testing will come into effect. 

It’s so confusing so we want to help demystify it for you. We find the simplest way to go about it is to focus on the certified cruelty-free names out there where you can rest assured animal testing does not take place. As far as Hong Kong goes, it does not require additional animal testing on beauty products. Phew! 

Educate yo’ self 

First off, you can start by vowing not to purchase from brands who still conduct animal testing – it’s as straightforward as a supply and demand. Stop the demand! It may take a little extra work to do research and ask hard-hitting questions but it’s all worth it when you find your new favourite animal friendly brands. 

There countless cruelty free brands on the market that we should be supporting, so many in fact we couldn’t list them all out for you. Head over to Cruelty Free Kitty for a comprehensive guide and remember to always go for products using minimal or ideally zero packaging – you can count yourself one shade greener! 

So, what does this mean for us everyday consumers and what do we look for when picking something off the shelf? 

• Keep an eye out for one of three of the cruelty free bunny logos currently in existence: 
  • PETA’s Caring Consumer 
  • Choose Cruelty-Free’s CCF Rabbit 
  • CCIV & BUAV (Cruelty Free International) Leaping Bunny  

• Now, it is vital to note there are some sneaky fake logos out there. Any bunny logo outside of these three is an easy fake to spot, even to a novice. However, even if the product has one of these three accredited badges, you must still double-check it against each corresponding website in order to ascertain full verification. Not on the website? Then it’s a guaranteed fake. 
• Finally, should the product not have a logo printed on its packaging, it’s still worth checking out the cruelty free websites, as it’s not a requirement to display the logo even if you are certified.