In the animal rights movement, cruelty free is a label for products or activities that do not harm or kill animals anywhere in the world. Products tested on animals are not considered cruelty free, as these tests are often painful and cause suffering and death to millions of animals every year.
Companies now offer a wide range of cruelty-free products, such as cosmetics, personal care products, cleaning products, clothes, shoes, condoms (which are sometimes processed with casein) and candles (which usually use paraffin or beeswax) ). Organizations such as PETA, Choose Cruelty Free, Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and its derivative organization Cruelty Free International have launched lists of cruelty-free products and cruel products to boycott. Since the 1990s, Leaping Bunny has been the only cruelty-free international certification program for third parties.
From time to time, the human spirit is seized with a passion and commitment so intense that it changes the course of history. Such was the case with Kathleen Long and Lady Dowding, whose love and concern for animals changed the course of cosmetic history forever. What started as a small business philosophy ended up affecting all the major cosmetic houses in the world and set a new standard for consumers and manufacturers.
In 1963, Beauty Without Cruelty was founded in England by the curators of the BWC Charitable Trust, an animal welfare organization. Its purpose was to manufacture and distribute colored natural cosmetics that were NOT tested on animals (as was the norm) and did NOT contain any animal ingredients. The driving force behind the project was Katherine Long, a lifelong dedicated animal welfare activist, a beautician and a vegetarian. Together with Noel Gabriel, Katherine developed the first complete line of humane colored cosmetics.
After Katherine’s death in 1969, Beauty Without Cruelty almost closed its doors, but Lady Dowding, one of the founders, was determined to keep the company and its goal alive. Lady Dowding, a warm and open-hearted person, was a charismatic leader and the BWC continued to grow and influence others.
- Brands Database Website – https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/
- International Organization (https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/
- PETA: People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals – https://www.peta.org/
- BWC – https://www.beautywithoutcruelty.com/