why cruelty-free?

(Warning! Contains graphic descriptions)

Because of animal testing. You may or may not be aware that the majority of everyday-use consumer products in your supermarket, chain-store, convenience store, drugstore are produced by big companies like Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Colgate-Palmolive, SC Johnson, Johnson and Johnson, Unilever. Check the labels, you may be surprised how many brands are owned by these companies.
That is the first surprise, now on to the second.
All these everyday items like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, dish-soap, laundry detergent, etc. that you use on a daily basis, are very likely to be produced by these companies, and before they are stocked on shelves, were Tested On Animals.
The same is true for cosmetics. Popular drugstore brands like CoverGirl (P&G), Maybelline, Neutrogena, Max Factor (P&G) and L'Oreal DO TEST their products on Animals.

How do they test, you wonder. Do they wash a dog with human shampoo? Do they put lipstick on a monkey?
No. In their test labs they keep rodents, rabbits, cats, dogs and primates in small cages, ready to be exposed to all types of chemicals and products to see if these items will cause irritations or worse reactions.
All these animals have furs, so to get to their skin, some are shaved, often ruthlessly, exposing not only skin, but raw flesh. The animals do not like these tortures, so they are tied or screwed down to keep them still.
So you don't like your shampoo or lotion stinging your eyes, you look for gentle products. How do they know these products are gentle? They do because they already tested it on bunnies or monkeys by sewing their eyelids open and dripping or spraying liquid into their eyes, possibly blinding the animals, and certainly exposing them to pain.
Now, these are just examples of common procedures, there are many more methods the so-called researchers or scientists come up with, you may want to do some reading to find out more specifically.

Where do these animals come from?
Most are bred just for this purpose (think puppy-mills for different animals species), for experiments, for torture, and ultimately euthanasia if the animals do not die of exposure and injury.
Some are obtained from animals shelters.

So, this is why I refuse to buy anything manufactured by a company that does or approves of Animal Testing.
Companies that apply humane methods will proudly state so on their products, look for the Leaping Bunny logo, and beware of products stating "End-Product Not Tested on Animals" or "We Do Not Test on Animals", it just means that they test the ingredients seperately, or have other companies do their dirty work.

Please think about this, do your own research, just enter "animal testing" into any search engine, you will find an amazing amount of information.
You don't have to be an animal lover, pet-owner, tree-hugger or hippie to find Animal Testing disgusting.


Because of Factory Farming. Again, many people may be unaware of the cruelty and suffering of animals involved in food production. I was not for most of my life.
I thought (or did not give too much thought to it, actually), that cows give milk and chickens lay eggs for us to eat, just like it was quite normal to have beef, pork, chicken and seafood in my diet, just trying not to think of how these animals' lives ended.
But I could not have imagined the uninterrupted suffering which is the norm for these creatures' entire lives, they are bred for the only purpose of filling our grocery stores.

By now I have seen extremely graphic pictures and video clips depicting common practices in the modern farming industry. Cattle that has never seen grass or breathed fresh air, let alone grazed in a meadow. Chickens who's beaks are chopped off without anesthesia, living out their whole lives in shoebox sized cages, not able to stand or move. Calves taken from their mothers a day after birth to be put into wooden crates so small, they cannot turn; being fed steroid-enriched feed to make them grow fast for veal.
Ducks and geese being force-fed through tubes several times a day to make their liver swell, and produce Foei Gras, the so-called delicacy.
All this made me very sad and sick with disgust, and it also made me a vegetarian.
But I had no illusions as to my vegetarian diet saving any animals from suffering, it will take much more than me and a few hippies , so I decided to start writing to tell of my own experiences, voice my opinion and attempt to spread awareness.
(you can find my maybe somewhat bumpy start on Yahoo!360° - see link on sidebar)
In the process I have found many people who have been vegetarians or vegans for many years or even all their lives, and it seems that there is hope, modern society, celebrities included, is starting to realize the need to put an end to cruelty to animals in the name of greed and ignorance.