little white truths

Because here's the thing: going cruelty free is not necessarily the best way to achieve what we're aiming to achieve - that is, stopping animal testing altogether. There's an argument to say that going cruelty free is a bandaid, the proverbial prevention versus treatment or cure.

As most of us in the beauty community know, Chinese law requires mandatory animal testing on all cosmetics products that are manufactured outside of China and physically sold in China (the animal testing law does not apply to online shopping). For more information, please see crueltyfreekitty.

What I'm saying is, the most effective way to stop animal testing altogether may well be to continually petition the Chinese government AND petition cosmetics companies to join the movement. This is one of those times when we all need to band together: individuals and companies alike.

Might be better than wasting our time getting involved in or fueling social media drama/rubbish that has no moral, ethical or environmental importance?

Also, I would like to paraphrase something that the wonderful Youtubers Kat and Hailey of Beauty News (here they are) have said. Basically, brands like MAC mightn't necessarily know that they're losing market-share because they test on animals - so unless you're writing emails to MAC saying you're not buying MAC products because the brand isn't cruelty free, then MAC mightn't realise that this is one of the reasons why they no longer have the market-stronghold they once did.

Kat and Hailey are right. MAC may believe that they're losing market-share for other reasons: eg they haven't modernised enough so they're not capturing the evolving market; or they're not competitive enough now that the cosmetics industry is mushrooming - which it wasn't doing ten years back.

The message I take from this is: we need to do more than just going cruelty free as individuals.

We need to approach this from every angle. It's a critical mass situation, I think.

And while of course brands are seeing us talking about going cruelty free on social media so they know it's important to many, the thing is, if brands are still turning huge profits (especially in China), then what we're asking them to do is not be businesses.

But they are businesses. And businesses aim to make profit. Yes they can aim to be ethically/environmentally responsible organisations at the same time, but there's an argument to say that we're essentially asking an animal to stop feeding from the greenest pasture. China is a huge market, and it's growing. Businesses need to make money to survive.

Do note, though, that I'm not saying I agree with the 'needs' of the greedy corporate beast (and indeed I used to work for an organisation that monitors corporate social responsibility), so please don't take it that way. What I'm saying is: if corporate giants are turning huge profits and continually expanding those profits, what reason have they to change?

Let's give them a reason. Together. Let's do more than just make cruelty free choices in our own lives. Let's petition the Chinese government. Let's petition the corporate giants and flood them with emails, enlisting them to face China beside us. At the front line.

I'll say it again: critical mass. 

You can't move a mountain with a snowball. But you can with an avalanche.

Also, with two toddlers it's been difficult enough for me to use and enjoy my makeup/skincare as it is - so I've focused on panning and overall waste-minimisation (yep, I'm a 'tree hugger' too and always have been) because life has been tough and I've needed to fight one battle at a time.

But I'm ready, now, for the next fight.

I think I'll stop here, even though there's a lot more to say. Finances, the frustrations of living in our hamstrung and exorbitant Australian market (we don't get cruelty free budget brands like Wet n Wild here), my struggles with buying Essence mascaras because they're not sold in my local pharmacies/drugstores and I'm not going to waste packaging/shipping by ordering them online, nor do I have the physical or mental energy to source them with two screaming toddlers in the car seats/double pram...

My aim with this post was to open the cruelty free discussion and tell you my stance, and also to let you know that I'll start a more focused transition to cruelty free this year. I have a feeling that my skincare and makeup collections are at least 80 per cent cruelty free already, but I'll do a separate post on that and let you know the percentages exactly.