Wrap Up: Is MAC Cruelty-Free? No, MAC is not a cruelty-free beauty brand. Even though they claim to not test on animals, they choose to sell in a country that requires imported cosmetics to be tested. Therefore, MAC is not considered to be cruelty-free. They will be added to my list of brands that test on animals.
When you look at a carnivorous diet and a herbivorous diet, the differences between the two are really quite vast. In restaurants or supermarkets, it’s now expected for menu’s to outline which dishes are suitable for vegetarians and which aren’t and it’s becoming increasingly more expectant for companies to state which dishes are vegan. With the vegan dishes, chefs may swap a pint of cow’s milk for that of the almond or soy kind or choose a tofu stir-fry for their specials board over a chicken and prawn.
Without sounding patronising, the most mainstream preferences are the dietary inclusion of meat, abstaining from meat and the complete exclusion of all animal by-products; there are clear differences in food for a variety of different motives. But when it comes to ‘vegan’ and ‘cruelty-free’ cosmetics, it seems the boundaries are still blurred.
Many cosmetics companies, among the likes of NYX, Elf and Urban Decay, are confirmed by PETA to be ‘cruelty-free’ and help ‘to end cruel tests on animals, while sending a powerful message to the companies that still test’ (PETA, no date). The practice within these cosmetics companies will reject the application of cosmetics to animals of any kind and instead propose a more ethical route for instance, volunteer studies with sophisticated scanning technology or through artificially curated human/animal cell structures in their laboratories. But, these methods do not make a company ‘vegan’.
- Animal products in mac makeup saubhaya 30 makeup brands that still test on animals in 2021 cruelty free kitty mac cosmetics is still paying for tests on animals peta2.
- Animal Face Painting. 1920s Makeup Pictures. The short answer is no - MAC is not a vegan company. They do, however, have a number of cosmetics that are vegan. MAC also supports the environment, offering a recycling program called Back 2 MAC, and has a large humanitarian effort in the fight against HIV/AIDs.
- Jen writes about cruelty-free beauty, health, lifestyle and travel products and services for guys and gals who can’t get enough hair, skin, makeup and other beauty products not tested on animals. Started in April 2009, My Beauty Bunny has become a huge hit with women (and men) who love animals and wish to purchase from brands who don’t test.
- Cosmetics (Estee Lauder) cruelty-free? Search for cruelty-free and vegan companies and products using PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies database.
Like the chefs in the restaurants or those deciding on vegan stock in Tesco’s, many cosmetics companies are also committed to removing all animal by-products from their ranges. Whether it just be a segment of their collection, at Charlotte Tilbury for instance, or foundation to their company, at OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) for instance, veganism in the beauty industry is growing but the distinctions between ‘cruelty-free’ and vegan can be easy to mistake.
Indeed, like cruelty-free brands, vegan companies still boycott the act of animal cruelty, animal testing and animal usage in-house. Vegan companies still continue to support the work of charities such as PETA or World Animal Protection and vegan companies still support the fight to end animal cruelty in the cosmetics industry. Yet, the un-obvious and most important difference is the boycott of all animal by-products; this including the likes of tallow (animal fat), gelatin (bones) and one of the most-used animal products in the industry: Carmine (crushed beetles) which you’ll find in your favourite MAC Cosmetics lipstick.
Don’t panic though, this isn’t wholly the mistake of consumers; the term ‘cruelty-free’ does get thrown about a lot. But when looking for cosmetics, consult PETA’s Vegan Beauty list and do your research because the distinctions made by these cosmetics companies are still blurred and there is really no excuse for it; especially when the amount of people switching to veganism is increasing. For example, take Anastasia Beverly Hills, famous for their Dipbrow Pomade and Contour Kits, who pride themselves as ‘cruelty-free’ yet still continue to use animal by-products. Although Anastasia aren’t testing on animals and do house some vegan products, the mislead and clarity of what ‘cruelty-free’ means in the beauty world is still a real issue for their customers.
Those who continue to test on animals can be expected to keep their inhumane acts act a whisper and include just a tiny disclaimer on their website’s ‘About’ page. Take a look on MAC Cosmetics‘ or Bobbi Brown‘s website for example (both non-cruelty-free brands), the ingredients for the majority of their products aren’t even listed which makes it more difficult for people to make a clear distinction for themselves. But, for those ‘cruelty-free’ brands, explaining exactly what is meant by ‘cruelty-free’ shouldn’t be a secret.
Ultimately, Cruelty-free brands still use animal by-products.
If your satisfied with animal derivatives in your cosmetics then so be it, but if your a vegan, do your research on the ‘cruelty-free’ brands out there because chances are, the wool could be being pulled over your eyes.
Follow the VeganBeautyDebate on Twitter (@theveautydebate), Instagram (@theveganbeautydebate) and Pinterest (/theveganbeautydebate) for all vegan beauty news, discussions, must-haves and ‘Vegan Brand of the Week’.
Our global campaign to end cruel cosmetics
Cruelty Free International leads the largest global campaign dedicated to ending the use of animals to test cosmetics and other consumer products throughout the world. Our highly experienced and passionate team has made real progress around the globe for the countless animals suffering in cruel tests for cosmetics through our positive, innovative and often trailblazing approach.
What we do
- Lobby politicians and governments to end the use of animals in cosmetics testing everywhere and forever
- Encourage regulators to accept non-animal tests
- Mobilise compassionate citizens through high profile campaigns
- Promote and encourage companies to go cruelty free by becoming Leaping Bunny approved
The issue
Traditionally, animals have been used in painful tests to demonstrate that cosmetics are effective and safe to use. Yet transferring the results of animal tests to humans has proven to be problematic and misleading in many cases.
Cruelty Free Makeup Brands 2017
Instead, safety can be assured by using approved tests that do not use animals, and by sticking to the many combinations of existing ingredients that have already been established as safe for human use.
Sadly, despite the availability of alternatives, countless animals are still subjected to cruel tests around the world to bring a new eye shadow or cologne to market. In many cases, industry inertia and bureaucracy are the only barriers to switching to non-animal testing methods. It is a sad fact that the only way some companies will embrace non-animal tests is if they are legally required to do so.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats are routinely injected gassed, force-fed and killed for cosmetics testing around the world. We believe this is ethically unacceptable and unnecessary.
The solution
In a global market it is important for all countries to ban animal testing for cosmetics to avoid testing simply moving around the world to countries with no effective laws. That’s why we launched our global campaign - to call on governments around the world to ban animal testing for cosmetics.
Animal tests are increasingly being replaced with quicker, cheaper and more reliable non-animal methods. These modern methods are more relevant to humans and have been found to predict human reactions better than the traditional outdated animal tests.
Companies can prove their products are safe by using established ingredients. There are, for example, almost 20,000 ingredients in the European Union’s database for which safety data is available.
Cosmetic manufacturers increasingly accept that animal experiments are unnecessary and those companies that still continue them damage the reputation of the industry. After New Zealand passed its ban in 2015, the Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association said that they did not need animal tests, adding, 'There might be some perception that we are actually testing within New Zealand so it's actually in the best interests of the exporting industry that we have a ban.'
We urgently need a worldwide ban on this cruel and unnecessary suffering.Ricky Gervais
A global movement for cruelty free cosmetics
A million people have added their names to our pledge for a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics. Our pledge went into thousands of The Body Shop stores across 65 countries around the world. It is the largest and most ambitious campaign ever to seek a global ban on the use of animals to test cosmetics.
And it helped put animal cosmetics testing on the agenda in so many countries across the globe for the very first time.
Having a million compassionate voices behind us means we can make real progress for animals suffering in cruel cosmetics tests. Read more about the work we’re achieving around the world.
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Our global pledge campaign for a ban on animal testing for cosmetics kicked off in London before touring 65 countries around the world.
Our global pledge campaign for an end to animal tested cosmetics arrives in South Africa.
Flash mob in Denmark for our global pledge for a ban on cosmetics animal testing
Signing our pledge for a global ban on cosmetics animal testing in India.
Our global pledge campaign takes to the streets of Japan
Is Mac Cosmetics Animal Cruelty Free
In Japan calling for a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics.
Signing our global pledge in Malaysia.
Actor Martin Del Rosario signs our global pledge in the Philippines.
A million voices for our global pledge tell the world to ban animal testing for cosmetics at Jakarta Fashion Week.