Recent revelations in the EU’s regulations on animal testing have forced a lot of us to reconsider what “cruelty-free” really means, what it was intended to mean and how we move forward as conscious consumers. Today I’m reading through the main points of this new-to-us information from the dedicated hard work of Jen from MyBeautyBunny and Jean from Bunny Army and applying a full face of “Gray Area” brands as I discuss what this means for my channel going forward.
My Beauty Bunny Article:
What’s on my face:
Fenty Body Sauce (1):
Fenty Eaze Drop (2):
Rare Beauty Concealer (130N):
Lily Lolo Mineral Concealer (Porcelain):
Patrick Ta Bronzer Duo (She’s Statuesque):
Pat McGrath Divine Blush (Divine Rose, Nymphette, Fleurtatious):
Pat McGrath Labs Huetopian Dream Palette:
Thrive Causemetics Perfect Eye Palette Warm Neutrals:
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown):
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara (Crystal):
Thrive Causemetics Lip Filler Lip Liner in Kackie:
Pat McGrath Lust Gloss in Pale Fire Nectar:
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10% off at Glossier:
10% off at Thrive Causemetics:
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1 month FREE at Rocksbox:
$2,500 off your complete smile makeover at The Cosmetic Dentists of Austin: Mention my name on your first call!
FTC disclosure: This video is not sponsored, but some items have been gifted. This video contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.
I found myself agreeing with every word you said, and I feel like this is actually just a very realistic point of view. I have so many thoughts on this whole space – I tried adopting an “only cruelty free” standpoint towards my makeup collection a few years ago but the more I learned about the whole space the more I felt it was kind of an empty marketing term, and honestly, I wasn’t surprised by any of these new developments. I would also raise some eyebrows at the industry demonising China alone for so many years on their policies when it turns out the EU and to a point the US were not much different the whole time, but that’s a different conversation 😕Right now I just try to adopt a “mindful” approach to by buying habits especially when it comes to makeup – does it make me happy and will I absolutely use 100% of it, is it easily accessible to me and can I simply walk to my local drugstore or Sephora to pick it up rather than paying for shipping and adding that footprint, might the packaging be recyclable/reusable (or at least just not excessive), do I actually need to expand my collection that much, does the brand have a story and ethos I want to support, even if they’re not technically considered “cruelty free” – those things I feel much more in control of and mean more to me than what I’ve discovered is a relatively arbitrary label. Might also be a bit of a pessimistic view but to me it feels more realistic than getting bogged down and trying to be the perfect consumer.
I’ve never been cruelty free, because although I like the idea of it, I’ve always held the opinion that anything self certified is not reliable. I work as an environmental scientist and have seen firsthand how other environment-related labeling is just purely marketing, there are so many holes in knowledge within big companies, supply chains are long and basically untraceable, and companies often lie or just don’t know what’s going on within their own company, so I always assumed cruelty free was the same way.
Thumbs up from me, thank you for letting us know…I feel pretty low right now….Did not see this coming….
The beauty community (brands, influencers, and consumers) doesn't need one person or source doing cruelty-free perfectly, it needs millions trying to do cruelty-free the best they can. It's not about perfection. Brands like Gucci, Chanel, Tom Ford, Mac, NARs don't resonate with me. The fact that those brands aren't on this channel is part of what makes your content some of my favorite.
I really appreciate that you are honest enough with yourself and with your viewers to do some reading and self-reflection and tackle this topic publicly. I think the more people like you that refuse to greenwash this issue, the sooner we will get change!
Indeed Kackie, indeed.
I am staying put ~~ not unsubscribing.
We are here for your balanced, take a few deeps breaths, analysis on the current goings on.
We all do what we can do, given what we know, when we know it.
Cruelty free status and what it hinges on not any clearer now than it was 30 years ago.
Great video!
As someone who worked at a cosmetic company, my former boss said it is almost impossible to find out if the raw material was test in animals due to the materials passing through so many hands before reaching the finish good manufacturer. I thoroughly suggest looking to the society of cosmetic chemist for clarification. Also, ecotoxicity testing has to be done on animals to see how it interferes with their biological systems. Ideally it's just how you know if something is dangerous to animals by testing it on animals before we have another DDT issue.
I totally support your decision! I haven’t let ‘cruelty free’ status influence my purchases much over the last decade, mostly a nice bonus if the product I want happens to come from a cruelty free brand. My problem is when cruelty free marketing comes alongside ‘clean/natural’ beauty marketing and claims which I find rather obnoxious. It’s all marketing to make us consumers feel better about the excessive overconsumption in our lives, make us feel less guilty.
I'm sorry, but someone has to say it… Humankind currently just doesn't have the technology that is advanced enough to avoid animal testing completely… Maybe after 30 years, it will resolve? I hope so, but I don't know… For some people maybe they'd rather agree to test everything on other humans than animals? I don't know, I respect their opinions but that's not me…
As always I’m infinitely appreciative of your candour and eloquence, and your willingness to bring forward the hard and sticky conversations because so many others just aren’t willing to move beyond the status quo. The cruelty free news is disappointing, obviously, but as you said it’s equally not the most surprising. Every industry under the sun is green washed now basically and as someone else in the comments here stated, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. I find it interesting that someone else insinuated you may no longer be an ally because of the opinions expressed in this video, but I’d like to contest that. The hardest job of a true ally is actually doing the grunt work without being dogmatic. I’ve been following you for a number of years now, and I can say with certainty that you put in ALL the effort. You educate yourself, you learn, you grow, you discuss, you dig into nuance and you allow us as your community to evolve alongside you with an openness and honesty that is essential in today’s climate. All this being said, we’ve got big love for you Kackie!
What brush are you using for your concealer? I think I have to have it! 😊😊
I completely understand the decision to remove the "cruelty free" claim from your channel given the fact that it's basically impossible to know for sure. As an independent creator, that seems like the most fair/transparent thing you can do for the consumers who rely on you for information about these products. However, I'm not sure I agree with the premise that just because we can't know for sure means it's okay to throw everything out the window and start giving money to brands who never even pretended to care about a cruelty-free status in the first place. I think it's still important to at least try to give our money to the less evil brands (acknowledging there is no ethical consumption under capitalism), than to just give up and give in to the brands that show no ethical values.
I also want to add that while I can certainly appreciate feeling too emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed for semantics, I hope that doesn't mean we will see your content focus less on nuance and context. I have always appreciated your thoughtfulness and honesty around difficult topics, which includes your frequent assertion that nuance matters. I think it matters in this issue as well, and I hope that's not lost because we're all too tired and broken to keep standing up for our values.
And finally: You're not alone in feeling utterly disappointed and bone tired. Thank you for your transparency and willingness to address hard topics. I appreciate you 🖤
I gave up my cruelty free status a year and a half ago. I gave it up because I realize how elitist it has become and how unregulated it truly is despite labels. I now focus my attention on what I can see – does the brand appear to have an inclusive (wearable) shade range, how does the brand respond to controversy, does branding/marketing display a wide variety of genders/ethnicities/walks of life, does the brand put our purposeful releases or are they releasing every other day something, etc. it’s helped my mind set in my purchasing decisions.
Wow. This is beyond disappointing. No one said glossier is gray area.
❤️❤️❤️
This was super interesting!!! I feel like it will be hard to change the mindset and start buying from brands that were never claimed to be cruelty free…
Well I’m gonna totally not get into the disappointment of cruelty free issue… instead I’m gonna say your eye shadow game is spot on today!!!!!
I really hope that you do continue to make efforts to buy cruelty-free, whether relying on brand's representions or not. Nothing will pull cruelty-free out of a gray area of understanding like increased consumer demand and regulation. Being imperfect and learning as you go is better than giving up and saying "screw it!" ❤
WOW. I just discovered your channel in my search for someone discussing this exact topic. I've been purchasing cruelty free makeup only since 2018, and this year I have felt so disappointed and discouraged about this. Now, I'm starting a career as a makeup artist, and as I've been building my kit, I've been SO frustrated with the limited selection from cruelty free brands. I need to stop on my pursuit of a cruelty free collection but I just needed someone to tell me that it was okay. Thank you!!
❤️ Following the money always leads to a shit show. Thank you for bringing all this info to light. Thank you for keeping your heart in the “game.” Onward!
Is even cruelty free even cruelty free actually? because some of these companies surely source from these mica mines that use child labor. It's against the law over there like in India but that doesn't stop some people from doing it i guess due to poor governance …this stuff goes deep …Maybe eventually we'll have to make our own stuff if we don't get answers…
Thank you for pointing me to this video during your live today! The wormhole sounds deep-thank you for taking it on and sharing your thoughts!
It's completely possible to be cruelty free. You just have to want it.
I know you all come from a good heart and good intentions, but i do not understant what y'all are so surprised about
if testing isnt done in animals, then on what? on people. idunno what kind of scenarios youre picturing in your head. but simply put, if you want to try a new formula, advance, improve. you have to test it at least once, if its not on animals its gotta be on people, like if you dont see how thats more severe i dont know what to tell you.
then dont go and complain and bash "evil companies" because they sell you an unsafe product, untested, all for the sake of cruelty free.
products come from nature itself, and its thru science and testing that they qualify as safe for us an animal might not be a 100% accurate representation but its pretty close, also tests arent done out of pure sadism, i think no company would take the trouble or waste the money if it wasnt necessary
to set an snall example, have you noticed how a lot of paints for kids are advertised as "non toxic"? it just so happens that a lot of pigments exists that were used in painting, clothibg and makeup that were highly toxic, but people didnt know not the marketers bot the consumers, in order to avoid this rules were set in place overtime. testing had to be the rule
even nowdays theres artist grde paints that are safe to use as paint, but not to use in your face. makeup overall is placed in one of the most if not the most important place in our body, your face/head nd also is somethibg that youd use every day
im pro investing into trying to find a method of testing that wouldnt involve animals, but if that is not known yet, theres no way im voting yes to get sold product that isnt proven to be safe