You might say vegan/cruelty-free beauty is poised to have its moment. New Zealand and India have banned cosmetic testing on animals altogether, and on June 22, 2016, President Obama signed the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, which is expected to significantly reduce animal testing in the United States. The act drew wide support from several organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Some believe the Lautenberg Bill will serve as a tool to help advocates push for an end to animal testing altogether in the United States, though the bill’s main focus is on chemical safety.
These new restrictions, along with plenty of alternatives to animal testing, such as artificial skin and test tube methods, are making it tougher for beauty manufacturers to justify harming animals. And make no mistake, the harm is terrible: rabbits are blinded, substances are shoved down the throats of small animals, and rats are repeatedly exposed to substances by inhalation or mouth until half of them die, according to the Humane Society of the United States website.
Internet backlash and public outcry over the Yulin dog meat festival, trophy hunting (remember Cecil the lion?), and the killing of Harambe the gorilla suggest that attitudes toward animals are changing. More millennials are vegan than their prior two generations, and the retail market for vegetarian foods has doubled to $1.6 billion, according to Mercy for Animals’ website—factors again hinting at a future with fewer animal products, at least at the dinner table. Some vegans strive for a completely vegan lifestyle that uses no animal products at all, even in clothing, furniture, or personal products.
Vegan beauty:
future, present, or passing fad?
By JoAnne Dyer