There’s more to being beautiful than selecting the right lipstick shade. True beauty requires compassion for all living beings. Even the most epic lipstick shade falls short if it’s not cruelty-free. These products and their ingredients should not be tested on animals.

We get it. You want to know that what you’re applying to your eyes and lips has been tested and deemed safe. But we also know that animal testing isn’t necessary to determine that. For too long consumers have been led to believe that the only way to know, for example, whether or not their mascara is caustic is to run it through the Draize Eye Test, which would assess eye irritation caused by various chemicals by applying it to the eyes of a rabbit. The good news is that companies do have other options.

Tried and True
Society isn’t new to the world of cosmetics. We’ve got a long list of ingredients that people have been using to create sexy, sultry lip color and eye-popping hues of shadow and liner. Companies can eliminate the need to test on animals by relying on ingredients already known to be safe.

Cell Cultures
Scientists can grow cells in a lab and those cells can be used to test the safety of the ingredients in your makeup. That means instead of determining whether your blush makes the skin of a rabbit irritated, a lab can test it on a cell culture.

Tissue Samples
Cosmetic surgery patients can opt to donate tissue samples removed during their procedure. This can be used to create an in vitro reconstructed epidermis – in other words, skin. Companies can use test kits with reconstituted skin to test their make-up and other beauty products.

Computer Models
Like we said, creating cosmetics isn’t new and there’s a long history of how certain ingredients affect the body. Researchers can use computer-based modeling called quantitative structure-activity relationships to determine the likelihood of a substance being hazardous to humans. This sophisticated process compares the tested substance to similar known substances, as well as information about the human body.

3D Printing
Combining the science used in cell cultures and tissue samples with today’s technology has yielded another way to test products without relying on animals. Scientists can now print skin samples starting with 3D bioprinting.

Human Volunteers
If you’re starting with a product that contains natural, organic ingredients (and those ingredients have a history of being safe), then testing the product on the beings that will be using them is a no-brainer. As an example, we use ingredients that have been in use for years and which are considered safe and we test on ourselves.

So now maybe you’re thinking, “This all sounds great, but how easy is it to actually find companies that are doing all this?” It’s a lot easier than you think. Look for brands included on lists from folks like Logical Harmony, Orange Harp, and My Beauty Bunny, just to name a few. You’ll find a list of companies, including Ecco Bella, that are committed to creating products that are good for you, the animals and the environment!  We have been outspoken opponents of animal testing, and even the big companies are now phasing it out.

We want to see what a real Intelligent Beauty looks like. Show off your best cruelty-free look with a selfie! Be sure to tag us on Instagram @eccobellabeauty and use the hashtag #EBBetterBeauty.