CoverGirl has done it again. The mass makeup company at the forefront of adopting more inclusive representation in makeup ads has forged another trailblazing first by announcing today a deepened commitment to cruelty-free beauty. As part of its new Leaping Bunny Certified designation, the brand will only use cruelty-free products and ingredients (including those provided by the company’s suppliers), according to standards set forth by certifier Cruelty Free International.
So what does it mean now that the largest makeup company has joined the ranks of cruelty-free cosmetic makers? For one, it makes picking up Leaping Bunny Certified products as easy (and affordable) as dropping into virtually any drugstore.
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What’s more, we’ll be keeping an eye on ripple effects sent to other major players in the industry — and we expect them to come swiftly. Because as it turns out, going cruelty-free doesn’t just spare countless animals, it makes good business sense, too.
According to a 2017 report by Cruelty Free International, alternatives to animal testing (which include computerized and chemical testing, along with tests performed on donated human tissue and skin cells) are faster, cheaper, and more effective than, say, tests performed on rabbits or mice.
To start, skin and eye irritation tests completed on tissue and cells can be done in a day, whereas the same tests performed on live rabbits can take two to three weeks, according to the report. It also found that some cell-based tests are a whopping 99.95% more affordable to carry out than comparable tests on animals (which can take about two years). Finally, the organization found chemical and human cell tests to be 30% more accurate in predicting skin reactions in humans than skin irritation tests performed on rabbits.
With data like this, it’s no wonder CoverGirl is opting in. We for one, can’t wait to see all those bunny emblems on its 40 shades of TruBlend Matte Made Foundation and tubes of our beloved Vitalist Elixir Tinted Lip Oil — because the more bunnies we see on boxes, the fewer end up in beauty labs.
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