Step-by-step guide to cruelty-free beauty

The concept of cruelty-free brands arose following the trend of caring for environmental responsibility. Choosing cosmetics not tested on animals is a titanic step towards ethical consumption. But the question of the difference between vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics, why cruelty-free is important, and how to find the right way to switch to consuming cruelty-free products remains open. In this article, we will sort it all out.

Why switching to cruelty-free matters

If you are against the inhumane treatment of animals, then one of the successful steps to stop this cruelty can be the transition to using products offered by brands that do not test on animals.

In 2025, animal testing of cosmetics is still a greenwashing issue. The realization that animals die in their thousands in terrible agony for the sake of a new jar of fashionable cream is horrifying.

It’s crucial to consider a product’s environmental impact even after it’s made. A cruelty-free formula doesn’t guarantee that production and the final product are harmless to animals. The makeup we wash off flows into sewage systems, eventually reaching rivers and seas, where it can poison marine life and algae.

The modern world allows us to use alternative methods to produce only cruelty-free products, so such cruel testing should not be encouraged.

Use what you have—don’t waste it

Many eco-ethical brands have been available on the market for a long time, so you can easily choose the necessary cosmetics at various prices. Start by checking your favorite cosmetic bottles for compliance with the cruelty-free certification. The transformation to cruelty-free product consumption is not a sprint, but a marathon – therefore, it requires a little more time. Identify the most used items in your cosmetic routine and check their “not tested on animals” permit. Surely, some will have to be used for the last time and find a similar product however with a cruelty-free mark. First, gradually replace your products as you run out, then focus on one category of products at a time.

Find Trusted sources for cruelty-free beauty

The only difficulty is finding specific cosmetics. Various online platforms, articles, blogs, podcasts, and sites that provide lists of ethical brands will help you. So, by signing up for the newsletter, you can get a list of over 550 cruelty-free brands with free access.

Another way of checking products is through online resources. These include: Leaping Bunny, Cruelty-Free International, and PETA’S Beauty Without Bunnies.

In addition, various mobile apps are easy to download and use at any time. It is the Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide, which makes it easy to verify the ethical status of brands.

Such verifying online sources ensure that cruelty-free brands not only promote their ethical approach but also adhere to these principles in practice. These standards ensure that a company speaks its mind about its ethical approach and follows these principles in practice. But in addition to providing information about cruelty-free beauty brands, such information platforms, and blogs post articles on how to lead a more conscious and environmentally friendly lifestyle, avoid using products that harm nature and animals, and choose pet-friendly products.

Create Your Beauty Products

When there is no desire to use synthetic-based care products, but you want something truly natural, not expensive, saving time and effort to search and shop among shelves with hundreds of jars of creams, you realize that any basic cosmetics is not difficult to prepare at home. You can find ready-made sets with accessories and ingredients for making soap, shampoos, creams, and gels. Such cruelty-free beauty components are made of natural herbs. Plants, do not contain silicones, parabens, formaldehyde, and other synthetic substances, and most importantly – they are not tested on animals.

Can one person make a difference?

The issue of ethical consumption is no longer just one of the topics for dialogue, but a large-scale task for the survival of humanity. And perhaps the greatest contribution to the environment that you can make is to start with yourself.

Before you buy something, minimize the impact of this product on nature and animals, and check the ingredient list of cruelty-free products, eco-friendly status, and history of the brand. Attend lectures, local community initiatives, and events aimed at helping animals and nature. Talk about it with friends and children, showing by your example how important the philosophy of conscious consumption is.

Thus, the most conscious way to harmonize human relations with nature is to rethink and change the strategy of resource consumption, to realize the value and uniqueness of the universality of nature.