By Chloe Halpin
When you’re getting ready for a night out, listening to your favourite songs, gliding on your favourite lipstick, have you ever stopped to think about where your makeup really comes from? Behind the glitter, there’s a darker story that the beauty industry doesn’t want its consumers to see.
In the cosmetics world, animal testing involves using live animals to test the safety of the product, along with the ingredients. Animals such as rabbits, mice and guinea pigs are most commonly used. These animals are typically restrained with chemicals applied to their skin, dripped into their eyes, or injected into their bodies. These tests are painful, stressful, and can result in death. Perhaps the most heartbreaking part is that these animals have no voice and no choice; they can’t consent to the suffering they’re put through, yet they endure it in the name of beauty.
Despite bans on animal testing in many places, using animals as test subjects remains a harsh reality, even here in Ireland. According to The Irish Examiner, more than 90,000 animals were used for testing in Irish laboratories in 2022. The Health Products Regulatory Authority says its legislation is guided by the “3Rs” principle: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. This aims to limit animal use and ensure testing only happens when absolutely necessary. But the numbers show that animal testing is still a big part of both the science and beauty industry.
Many of the world’s favourite beauty brands still benefit from these outdated practices. For instance, L’Oréal, which claims to be cruelty-free in the US and EU, still pays for animal testing in China. Similarly, brands such as Benefit, NARS, and Maybelline continue to test on animals. These companies benefit from cruelty-free reputations in some markets while supporting animal testing in others. A contradiction that often goes unnoticed by consumers.
Animal testing isn’t just cruel, it’s also outdated and unreliable. According to Cruelty Free International, the carcinogenicity test, which uses around 400 animals for one experiment, only gets human cancer outcomes correctly 42% of the time and tests on guinea pigs for allergic reactions are just 72% accurate.
With modern technology, scientists can grow human skin cells in labs to test for irritation, use cultured corneas instead of rabbits for eye tests, and even use computer models to predict how chemicals behave. This provides safer, more humane and overall efficient alternatives to outdated experiments on living creatures.
The animals that are put through these experiments often have never lived freely, they are kept in cages and denied the luxury of their natural habitats and behaviours. We have the power to change this. More cosmetic brands such as Rare Beauty and Sunday Riley are proudly cruelty-free free proving that glamour doesn’t have to come at the expense of a life.
Instead of reaching for Benefit’s blush, consider going for Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush that delivers a natural flush while supporting a brand that prioritises compassion. And when it comes to mascara, try swapping Maybelline’s mascara for Wet n Wild’s Mega Length Mascara. It’s affordable, effective, and aligned with a cruelty-free mission. Tiny tweaks like these might feel subtle, but collectively, they help steer the beauty industry toward a kinder, more conscious future, one makeup bag at a time.
So, the next time you’re getting ready for a night out or refreshing your routine, pause for a moment. Turn the product around. Scan the packaging. Look for trusted cruelty-free certifications, especially the Leaping Bunny logo. With one mindful choice, your makeup ritual becomes a statement of what you stand for.
Because beauty isn’t just about pigment, sparkle, or the perfect finish, it’s about values. It’s about choosing products that make you feel good on the outside and align with the kindness you carry on the inside. And while one blush or mascara swap may seem small, your choices have power. When we all lean into that power, the future of beauty becomes not only more glamorous but more humane.
Every swipe. Every purchase. Every mindful choice. It all adds up.