It is easy to find and purchase cosmetics, personal care
items, and household cleaning products of all types that are not tested
on animals. Non-tested animal products are readily available in local
health food stores, beauty supplies, and other specialty stores.
Increasingly, these consumer products can also be found in major
department stores and even in supermarkets.
When shopping for non-animal tested products, there are
three things you should be concerned about:
*Is the finished product tested on animals? *Are the
different ingredients found in the finished product tested on animals?
*Does the product contain ingredients / by products derived from
animals?
It is important to make sure that the products you buy
meet all three criteria. Some companies will claim to be "cruelty free"
because they don't test the final product they manufacture on animals.
But some of these very companies purchase ingredients from suppliers who
do test them on animals. It is important to find out whether or not the
manufacturer has a policy in place requiring non-animal tested
ingredients from its suppliers. If no such policy exists, you should
refrain from buying their products while making sure you let them know
why.
But remember, if the label reads "not tested on
animals," "no animal testing," or "cruelty free," it doesn't always mean
that the ingredients in the product were not tested on animals. However,
if the label does not specify "not tested on animals," "no animal
testing," or "cruelty free," then chances are that the product and/or
its ingredients are tested on animals. Besides, even if they weren't,
you do not want to buy products from a company that feels compelled to
hide the fact that its products are not tested on animals.
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