Cruelty Free in 2020... Where Are We Now?
Discover some scary loopholes…
Years ago I had blindly followed the status quo moving towards one goal, only to find that the whole thing was a lie. When I looked around at my friends and family, I saw they were in the same situation as me. We’d been fooled and we’d been tricked. Close members of my family had severe health issues and had unknowingly been using toxic brands. This might even be happening or have happened to you before. The media, marketing, celebrities and fashion magazines told us if we use these magical products on our bodies, that they would keep us looking healthy, confident, popular, hydrated, natural, and youthful. They didn’t mention it would come at a high cost. I don’t like being conned or ripped off and this is exactly how I felt. Trusting companies and using their products on my body for years to then realize how toxic they are is demoralizing and horrifying. I realised that these companies no longer deserve my trust because they do not have my or your best interests at heart. I decided to empower myself, start researching and start making some changes because without my health nothing else exists!
#1 Did you know safety tests are not required for the cosmetics industry?
Take a moment to ask yourself how many products you use in a typical day. Cream, lotion, deodorant, soap, perfume, makeup, lip balm? Now ask yourself how many ingredients are in those products. According to a survey conducted by the Environmental Working Group, the average person uses 9 products daily, which contain 126 unique ingredients. This wouldn’t be so concerning if the ingredients in our cosmetics were actually regulated. Did you know that’s true? Safety tests are not required for the cosmetic industry! Even more disturbing is the fact that many companies continue to use toxic chemicals in our products simply because they are much cheaper to use than natural and organic ingredients. While the EU has banned over 1300 chemicals, the FDA has only banned 8 and restricted 3. This is a huge discrepancy!
If this is the case, then just how much of that toxicity is entering our skin? We have 2 million holes across our skin. 2 million! And unlike food, which has an opportunity to filter out the things that don’t belong through our digestive system, our skin doesn’t quite work in the same way.
#2 Did you know that 60% of what we put onto our skin is directly absorbed into our bloodstream?
Our skin is the largest and most permeable organ in our bodies. The three layers that make up our skin are called the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous fat. While our skin serves as our protective armour helping to keep us in and the rest of the world out, despite these 3 layers, substances can still be absorbed if they are small enough. Unfortunately, many of these substances are found in everyday lotions and sunscreens, some of which are even filled with nanoparticles that are designed to easily penetrate our skin’s walls.
#3 Cosmetic brands still testing on animals
I discovered a loophole for beauty and skincare brands with “no animal testing” policies… Well known companies such as NARS, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, MAC, Lancome, Maybelline, Rimmel London, and Revlon may state they are cruelty free however, they choose to sell their products in countries which require them to test on animals by law, which means they test on animals!
#4 Building Halo is the New Black Natural Beauty - ethical, sustainable, cruelty free
After this discovery, I was on a mission to figure it out for myself, listen to what my body needs and enjoys, and trust myself. I created Halo is the new Black which supports local, ethical and sustainable suppliers and strictly adheres to no animal testing (we have our own Halo is the New Black mascot bunnies Zen and Tickles!). We not use any synthetics and we are 100% natural with many Australian native centuries old ingredients and we have 100% transparency. We love all animals so we do not test on them. We love bees and support local bee companies such as Rooftop Honey who build beehives on city rooftops to protect the species! We use eco friendly and recycled postal packaging and glass containers wherever possible to protect our earth from the onslaught of plastic. I’m guessing that if you’re interested in my brand’s ethos then you are interested in protecting animals and our earth too. Empower yourself with knowledge and keep asking questions and trusting yourself. The more companies that we support that are transparent, honest and promote conscious awareness, then the better off we will all be. And if you do not understand a brands ingredients list, better to not buy it or check out websites such as think dirty and organic bunny which will help you understand confusing ingredients lists! For more information about no animal testing check out cruelty free kitty, cruelty free international, and leaping bunny for more help. For help discovering safe ingredients please visit Think Dirty and to discover all things organic please visit Organic Bunny.
References:
www.crueltyfreekitty.com
www.crueltyfreeinternational.org
www.leapingbunny.org
www.thinkdirty.com
www.organicbunny.com
www.rooftophoney.com.au
www.cir-safety.org
www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/synthetic-chemicals-skincare_n_56d8ad09e4b0000de403d995