Dressing your pet in a woolly coat is one thing (guilty)—putting lipstick on them is another. But that’s the harsh reality for millions of animals in Australia that are subject to animal testing for cosmetics. And it’s not for a funny selfie; it’s to test for an adverse reaction, leaving animals blind, distressed and injured.
It’s crazy, really. To think that in this day and age we still allow this to go on but for a lot of us, we’re naïve. We grew up wearing leather and going to zoos without a second thought. But as consumers, we’re becoming more aware and making more conscious purchasing decisions.
According to a study done by Roy Morgan Research, Australian women ranked the cruelty-free label as the third most important feature to look out for when buying cosmetics. Sure, it was just after value for money and the product providing a ‘natural’ look but it was still up there. It even ranked higher than SPF, with 46% of women saying it was a key decider in purchasing decisions, up from 41% in 2012.
So how do we find a product that gives a ‘natural’ look, is good value for money AND condemns testing on animals. Among Australia’s 10 best selling beauty brands, only one was certified cruelty-free: Nude by Nature.
Nude by Nature is animal cruelty-free and PETA certified and has been since its inception in 2008. This means that at no stage in the creation of their products are animals tested on or exploited. Even their makeup brushes use high-quality synthetic fibres, which are entirely cruelty-free. (But they perform just as well, if not better than natural hair, with the added benefits of being more durable, hygienic, hypoallergenic and easier to clean.)
Not only this, Nude by Nature uses all natural ingredients free from synthetic ingredients or preservatives like Talc, Silicon, Phthalates, Sulphates, PEGS, Siloxanes, Triclosans, Phenoxyethanol or Parabens. Their products are formulated with native Australian ingredients like Lilly Pilly, Kakadu Plum and macadamia oil, which are better for our skin and for the environment.
And they’re seriously good. Nude by Nature isn’t just in the top 10, it’s actually among the top 5 mass cosmetics brands in Australia. If you’ve ever tried their products, you’d know. With all their natural ingredients, it’s no surprise they give such a natural, flawless finish. Plus, they’re a mineral makeup brand, which we all know is better for the skin.
So if you’re choosing between an effective product that doesn’t test on animals and an equally effective one that does, which are you going to choose? For us, it’s simple.
In Australia, in the lead up to the Federal Election, the Coalition vowed to ban the sale of cosmetics tested on animals effective July this year. But the recent release of the budget papers showed that this policy has been pushed out until earliest 2019.
So if the government won’t take a stand, it’s up to the population to. And the most effective way to do so is to stop buying products that test on animals and choose cruelty-free brands like Nude by Nature. Stop the demand and they’ll stop the supply.
