“Cruelty-free” products refer to products which are not tested on animals and do not harm or kill them in any way and such products are a part of the animal rights movement which dates back to over 100 years ago.

Now, it is an international movement which protects the rights of customers and animals around the globe. Some of the biggest names in this department – which you may or may not have heard of – are the Cruelty-Free International organization and the Leaping Bunny logo which are well-known animal-free testing organizations. You can get your favourite cruelty-free products delivered right at your doorstep with chemist 4 u  

In the market, there are innumerable companies that sell lotions, foundations and other beauty products. To be sure of any companies customer services, product’s quality and rates customer feedback can help you decide whether any company delivers according to their promise. You can check out personal care company products which avoid animal cruelty in real sense. 

We will now take a closer look at the initiation and history of cruelty-free products along with what they have achieved over the years.

How did Cruelty-Free initiate?

Cruelty-Free International started off as a British Union in Bristol in 1898 led by Frances Power Cobbe, who was a notable women’s rights campaigner and philanthropist at that time. During her travels across Europe, Frances witnessed traumatizing mistreatment of animals and started advocating for animals’ rights, describing what she had seen to the public in the form of various articles. In the late 19th-century animal testing became a massive social issue and anti-vivisection societies started to form in the UK – supported by Queen Victoria herself.

Union Formation

In 1898, five of the anti-vivisection societies came together to form a British Union. By 1940, the organization had over 154 branches across the world and the union had a clear goal, which was ‘to keep unalterably before its members and the public the fundamental principle of their warfare with scientific cruelty, namely, that it is a great Sin – which can only be opposed effectively when opposed absolutely, and without attempts at delusive comprises of any kind.’

British Union for the Abolition

After Frances Power Cobbe passed away Dr Hadwen picked up where she left off and till this day, the Animal Free Research UK (formerly Dr Hadwen Trust) leads the non-animal testing organization in the UK. In 1949, the organization’s name changed to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection or BUAV.

BUAV had an enormous amount of success in unearthing animal cruelty laboratories by investigating. In 2015 the organization renamed itself and became the Cruelty-Free International we know today – a name which is now globally recognized and continues with the tireless work of its founders.

What has Cruelty-Free achieved?

Cruelty-Free has aided in spreading animal rights’ awareness to millions of people around the world and has encouraged and assisted a large number of companies to give up on their conventional, harmful methods and switch to an eco-friendly, animal-friendly way of testing their products. Thanks to the marvels of modern science and medicine, it is now much more efficient to achieve this. The organization has played a significant role in ending animal testing for cosmetics in the European Union.

Countries following cruelty-free law

Thirty-eight countries from around the world have followed cruelty-free law in cosmetic including India, Israel, Australia and EU. The momentum is also building in the US and China, two of the leading countries in animal-testing. They have also helped to implement laws which save primates such as wild monkeys from experimentation.

Achievements

Some more notable achievements include:

• Ending of cruel experimentation on Kenyan baboons at Newcastle University
• Investigations that ended cruelbotox experimentations on mice in the UK. Huge progress made on alternative botox testing excluding animals
• Awards for sustainable business and protection of animals.

If you, too, would like to show support to the cruelty-free movement, you can start by raising awareness to people around you to only buy from brands which avoid animal testing or lookout for the official Leaping Bunny logo on the products you buy. You can also make a donation or start a fundraiser. All money aids in campaigns and investigations to pressure large corporations to stop animal testing.