Finding products that are friendly to animals and wallets alike
Cruelty-free products have been making quite the surge in popularity. Whether it is skincare, clothing, shampoo, or makeup, if it has a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) logo on it, it is likely to fly off the shelf. However, with this denotation often comes price tags that tend to be on the more expensive side.
This is especially true with makeup brands. Though companies such as Smashbox, Urban Decay, and Tarte are cruelty-free, they are also very expensive, with a single lip stick running close to $25. Personally, I want to know that the products I am using align with both my beliefs and my wallet.
With this in mind, I took to the internet—more specifically PETA’s website—to see what I could find, and was pleasantly surprised. Located on their website is a master list of all the brands that they know to be cruelty-free. The list is searchable by type of product, company, and other characteristics such as vegan and non-vegan. Inspiration in hand, I created some criteria to follow to make sure that I was upholding the affordability side of things.
First, I only picked brands that were present on the master list on PETA’s page. Secondly, I only chose brands that I could find at either Shoppers Drug Mart or Walmart. Since Shoppers does carry some higher end products, I added the clause that anything from Shoppers had to come from the cosmetics aisle and not the boutique. Finally, I attempted to keep the cost per item as low as possible, without sacrificing product quality.The brands that seemed to best fit these criteria were NYX Professional Cosmetics, Burt’s Bees, ELF Cosmetics, Physicians Formula, wet n wild, and Real Techniques.
After applying a full face of makeup using these products, I loved the look and I also loved the fact that everything that I used—even my Real Techniques brushes—were both budget-friendly and animal-friendly. It definitely showed that it is possible to be conscious and aware of what you are using on a daily basis without breaking the bank.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion