Even if you are happy to use products that do contain animals, you may not want products that have been tested on animals.
There are literally thousands of products, drugs and theories tested on animals every day through out the world. Generally in cosmetics, companies are testing for toxicity, adverse reactions and occasionally if a claim actually works! Many however, are entirely unnecessary, especially as there are so many excellent products being sold by reputable businesses.
IF YOU ARE SHOPPING ONLINE GLOBALLY, IT REALLY ISN'T ENOUGH TO ONLY FOCUS ON AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATIONS AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE CONSCIOUS OF WHERE PRODUCTS COME FROM.
A simple example of how toxicity is measured in one lab is to place the product in small amounts inside a large fish tank and then record the rate and number of fish that die.
This is a very simple example, but you get the idea. There are many examples like this, relatively mild, unless you are the fish of course, but some animal testing is so horrific it cannot be translated into writing effectively enough to describe the torture some animals are put through.
It isn't just testing, but also how products are secured. Cheap fur (and somewhat ridiculously, some mis-labelled, 'faux' fur) is probably one of the most horrific products - whether from China or other parts of the world as animals - mostly cats, dogs & rabbits, are often electrocuted, bludgeoned or skinned alive after having been kept in poor conditions.
Leaping Bunny is a coalition of American animal protection groups (CCIC) who got together after 1996 to standardise the definition of cruelty free.
Choose Cruelty Free was an Australian not-for-profit organisation, now part of Choose Cruelty Free International, whose aim is to end animal testing on body care products. Body care brands that display the CCF Not Tested On Animals logo have committed to making products that are animal cruelty free.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA Australia operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment or abuse in any way.
These organisations and many others, either independently certify companies whose products are not tested on animals and/or campaign for their rights.
Images: Unsplash Svetlana Pochatun | Sanjiv Nayak | Krista Mangulsone