Blog – Tagged "animal testing"

20 Apr '16

Cruelty Free Doesn't Mean Vegan

Posted by Unicorn Goods

Cruelty Free Makeup Labels and What They Mean

Lab rabbits waiting to be tested on.

You’ve probably read cosmetic labels that say “cruelty free” and “not tested on animals” but have you ever stopped to think what do these words actually mean? Just because a product claims that it’s “cruelty free” doesn’t mean that it is. According to the Federal Drug Administration of the United States there is no legal definition for “cruelty free” so brands can adopt this term loosely, and they most certainly do. The actual term “cruelty free” is not trademarked, and can be used freely. Here are some examples of random and unsubstantiated cruelty-free labels.

FAKE CRUELTY FREE LOGOS

Fake Cruelty Free Logo 2

Remember, without certification, the above are virtually meaningless.

THE REAL DEAL

The only way to really tell if a cosmetic product doesn’t test on animals is to look for a third-party certification icon like the three listed below. When products have a label like one of the three below, they have agreed to be evaluated for the truthfulness of their statements and have met certain standards proving that they are indeed cruelty free. Here’s a look at the differences between these labels. Keep in mind that cruelty free doesn’t mean vegan, but that’s another discussion. All body, cosmetics, and beauty products listed on Unicorn Goods must have at least one of these standards or prove that they are cruelty-free and vegan.

PETA's Beauty without Bunnies Program | This program, based out of the USA, is one of the largest cruelty-free accreditation programs and includes over six hundred different companies. | Mandates: This program requires that no new animal testing can take place at any phase of product development a certified company, its laboratories, or ingredient suppliers. | Accountability: PETA believes that a company puts its image at risk if it falsies cruelty free claims. This economic risk and potential damage of public perception to hold companies accountable.

Leaping Bunny Program | This international program was formed by eight national animal protection groups who came together to form the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) which administers the Leaping Bunny Program. | Mandates:To become certified a must agree that company does not and shall not conduct, commission, or be a party to animal testing this includes formulations and Ingredients of such products. The program also requires a supplier monitoring system be put in place. Companies also cannot allow animal testing to be performed by or for submission to regulatory agencies in foreign countries. | Accountability: A company's supplier monitoring system must be submitted to an independent audit.

Choose Cruelty Free | This Australia-based nonprofit organization accredits companies and actively campaigns for an end to animal testing of cosmetics, toiletries and other household products. | Mandates: They will not accredit companies unless all parent and subsidiaries are also accredited (think the Body Shop, owned by L'oreal). Companies must fit one of two criteria (1) The company meets the never tested rule: none of its products and none of its product ingredients have ever been tested on animals by it, by anyone on its behalf, by its suppliers or anyone on their behalf. (2) The five year or more rolling rule: None of its products and none of its product ingredients have been tested on animals by it at any time within a period of five years immediately preceding the date of application for accreditation. | Accountability: Accredited companies sign a legally-binding contract to the effect that what they have said in their application is factual.

A LOOK AT THREE CRUELTY FREE CERTIFICATIONS

Look out for one of the above legitimate labels when you shop, or just shop with us. We’ve got your back, and bunnies’ and beagles’ backs, too.

Our standards.

Lab testing on beagles.

animal testing • certification • cruelty free • information

17 Mar '16

60,000 Dogs Used for Animal Testing in the US

Posted by Unicorn Goods

Beagle Freedom Project

60,000 dogs are used for animal testing per year in the US alone, most of them beagles. Beagles are the dog of choice because of their friendly, docile, trusting, forgiving, people-pleasing personalities. The research industry says they adapt well to living in a cage, and are inexpensive to feed. Research beagles are usually obtained directly from commercial breeders who specifically breed dogs to sell to scientific institutions.

But animal testing doesn't even work. 106,000 people die yearly from drugs tested safe on animals. The Beagle Freedom Project is working hard to free these dogs from testing facilities. Already 80,563 people have signed up to participate in their rehabilitation and re-homing campaigns.

Check out this amazing video of The Beagle Freedom Project releasing dogs rescued from a testing facility who have never seen the sun before.

The Beagle Freedom Project | Via The Dodo | Cite US government statistics and Speaking of Research

animal testing • cruelty-free vegan makeup • dogs

16 Mar '16

Be Cruelty Free Week 2016 (March 13-19)

Posted by Unicorn Goods

Be Cruelty Free, Humane Society

Almost a million animals are used for animal testing in the United States Alone. In 2014, the number was 834,453, including guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, dogs, monkeys, pigs, sheep, cats, and more. The dog of choice is the beagle. This doesn't even include rats, mice, birds or fish, meaning that 93% of research is conducted on animals which are not counted under the US Animal Welfare Act. If these animals were included, the number could be 12-25 million, a staggering number for an outdated, cruel, and ineffective solution to human safety.

The Humane Society has declared this week (March 13-19) Be Cruelty Free Week to raise awareness and support of the Humane Cosmetics Act, which would ban animal testing on cosmetics. The overwhelming majority of people support a national cosmetics testing ban (66-88% worldwide). All we need is the law to put our public outcry into action.

Recorded number of animals used in research in the US in 2014, not including most animals.

"Cosmetics” refers to makeup as well as personal care products like shampoo, cologne, hairspray and moisturizer. The Humane Cosmetics Act is the first-ever legislation in the US to prohibit the manufacture and sale of animal-tested cosmetics.

The act has already been endorsed by more than 160 stakeholders in the personal care products industry, including Coty (one of the top ten global cosmetic companies), H&M, Lush, Paul Mitchell, Seventh Generation and The Body Shop. More than 30 countries have already phased out animal cosmetics testing, including Norway, Israel, India and the European Union.

The Humane Cosmetics Act, Cruelty Free International

Alternatives to animal testing already exist: Humane and safe cosmetics can be made using thousands of existing ingredients, and several non-animal safety tests are already available for new ingredients. These non-animal alternatives (which include artificial tissue and the test tube method) are often cheaper, faster, and more relevant to humans, and therefore more reliable predictors of safety.

Learn more about animal testing with this beautifully done infographic by the Humane Society. Take action here by contacting your representatives in government and urging them to support the Humane Cosmetics Act.

Cite US government statistics and Speaking of Research | Via Organic Spa Magazine

animal testing • cruelty-free vegan makeup • dogs

28 Feb '16

Our Mission and Purpose

Posted by Cayla (Unicorn Goods)

Unicorn Goods is the world's largest collection of animal free products. Our mission is to end animal cruelty by selling and promoting animal free apparel, home goods, and other products. We list 1600+ items from 200+ brands that meet our standards for animal rights, human rights, and sustainability. By helping people buy products in line with their ethics, we are saving animal lives, reducing environmental degradation, and combating human exploitation. We donate 1% of profits to pro-animal organizations and are a PETA-Approved Vegan vendor. Our goal is to reframe the discussion about veganism and make veganism a mainstream movement.

We do what we do because we believe in the power of people to do good. We believe that people want to do the right thing, but that they don't have knowledge or opportunities to act on that impulse. Here's our video explaining why we're devoting our time and energy to ending animal suffering, and join us in our campaign to help people do the right thing.

Transcription:

Hi, my name is Cayla Mackey, Co-founder and CEO of Unicorn Goods. Unicorn Goods is the world's largest selection of animal-free products. Our mission is to end animal cruelty by selling and promoting animal-free apparel, home goods, and other products.

Globally, about 35 billion animals are slaughtered annually for human consumption, 10 billion of those being in the United States. At the same time, veganism is on the rise. In the United States alone, .3% of the population, or about 1 million people, identify as vegan, and 2.5% of the population, or 7.5 million people, identify as vegan or vegetarian. These numbers have doubled in the past three years and are reflected globally.

The problem for vegans and vegetarians is that they not only try to not eat animal products, but they try not to buy animal products in general. This includes clothing. Specifically, it's really difficult to buy wool-free sweaters, down-free jackets, and leather-free shoes, let alone body products that don't contain animal products or makeup that isn't tested on animals.

We take the burden off of the vegan and vegetarian consumer and go ahead and filter out everything on the internet to find the most ethical versions of animal-free products. Everything on the site, including the 1600+ items from the 200+ brands already listed meets standards for animal rights, human rights, and sustainability.

We hope to expand the definition of social impact to include animal rights since animal rights is very underrepresented in social enterprise right now.

We know that if more people had access to ethical products, not only those who are vegans or vegetarians, that more people would make ethical decisions. 65% of people currently say that they want to make more ethical purchases but don't know how, citing knowledge and access as major barriers to entry.

We solve this problem by making it easier for people to buy things that in line with their ethics without having to sacrifice convenience, time, or style.

We want to change the world with Unicorn Goods, and we hope you join us.

Statistics cited:

35 billion land animals are killed globally for human consumption (most estimates place it around 60-70 billion) with 10 billion in the US alone (and these numbers are just land animals): Farm USA
.3% of the US population (1 million people) are vegan, and 2.5% are vegetarian/vegan: The Rise of Veganism
65% of people want to buy more ethical products buy don't know how: Conscious Consumer Spending Index
Unicorn Goods standards

View on YouTube

animal cruelty • animal testing • animal-free • conscious consumption • cruelty-free • cruelty-free fashion • down-free jackets • ethical consumer • ethical fashion • leather-free shoes • vegan • vegan fashion • vegan makeup • veganism • video • wool-free sweaters • YouTube

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Cruelty Free Doesn't Mean Vegan

Cruelty Free Makeup Labels and What They Mean

60,000 Dogs Used for Animal Testing in the US

Be Cruelty Free Week 2016 (March 13-19)

Our Mission and Purpose

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