One way to help animals is to make animal-friendly choices when buying. If we all choose clothes, cosmetics and products that have been produced in animal-friendly ways, we can make a big difference to the way that animals are treated. 

This page will give information about how animals are involved in making and testing of products and offer you some top tips to introducing animal-friendly buying into your lifestyle.

Cosmetics and Household Products

Many people are unaware that animals across the world are involved in experiments that test non-essential products such as:
• Cosmetics
• Household products
• Food additives
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Pesticides.

The tests are carried out to see how safe products are for humans to use and what precautions are needed when using them. Because animals are harmed in these tests, animal rights activists and many others are fighting to end testing on animals. 

Animal testing of finished cosmetics was stopped in the UK in 1998, although animal testing on some ingredients used in cosmetic products still continues. The European Union has written policy regulating the use of animals in experiments which is due to be enforced in all European countries by January 2013. However the standards of animal welfare required by this policy are lower than the ones currently in place in the UK. OneKind is working with other animal charities to ensure that the UK law is not made weaker on animal welfare.

Making simple choices such as buying animal-friendly shampoo has the potential to make a big difference to animal welfare. It means that no animals will have suffered to make the products you are using. By choosing to buy animal-friendly products, you will also reduce the demand for animal testing for cosmetics and household products and encourage producers to stop animal testing.

How can I make sure my products have not been tested on animals?

The Leaping Bunny symbol is the only internationally recognised symbol which allows shoppers to identify which products have been tested on animals and which haven’t. If you see a Leaping Bunny on your product it’s a sure fire way to know that your product has not been tested on animals. If your product does not have a label to say it has not been tested on animals, then it is highly likely that animals have been used to test it.

However, the Leaping Bunny logo does not necessarily mean that the product is free of animal ingredients (for example, a conditioner not tested on animals may still contain lanolin, which is from sheep wool). So, if you are a vegan and wish to avoid all animal-products, make sure that you check the ingredients list too.

Some companies such as Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Group, Marks and Spencer and Lush have shown their commitment to animal welfare, by making sure they do not test their own brand products on animals.

Fur

The fur industry breeds animals for their fur. Many animals across the world are killed to be skinned and turned into fur products. Fur farming is not legal in the UK, but still happens all across the world and fur products are still readily available in shops in the UK.

By choosing not to buy fur and buying synthetic furs instead you can make a big difference to the animals involved in the fur trade. Reduced demand for fur means a decline in the fur industry and that fewer animals have to be killed for their fur.

Leather/Silk/Wool

Other animal products used in clothing include leather, silk (obtained by boiling or gassing silkworms), and wool. Some people believe that living a truely animal-friendly lifestyle we would make sure animals are not exploited to make our clothes. Now that there are many synthetic and manmade fibres it is easier to live without using animal made materials. However others believe you can live an animal-friendly lifestyle without giving up leather, silk and wool. They argue that the production of manmade fabrics releases chemical which harm the environment. 

Top tips for animal-friendly shopping

1) Avoid buying real fur, snake skin and leather. There are plenty of excellent faux or synthetic versions on the high street. They are also easier on your pocket.
2) Look out for the leaping bunny logo when you’re out shopping, and you will be sure that your products are free from animal testing.
3) If you’re on holiday think twice before buying wildlife souvenirs. Some of them might have cost the life of a rare or endangered animal.
4) Tell other people about animal-friendly shopping and how they can get involved.

This information has been developed in partnership with OneKind – HumanKind. AnimalKind. OneKind.