On a slightly different note, have you heard about the BBC investigation into companies like Lancome and Estee Lauder exploiting their workers on jasmin plantations in Egypt? And whereas the cost of producing a bottle of perfume is about €15 or so, you pay hundreds... Business is business and it's all about profits, I don't think anyone in the industry cares about animals or employees, as long as nobody talks about it. And certifications can be bought, as I heard in the case of sourcing mica by huge beauty companies, which is mined in countries where children are commonly, although illegally, used as workforce.
Yes, I have planned a video 😉 I've just not recorded it yet... It's not surprising really is it? I wasn't shocked by it being a thing. What did surprise me was that this was all that was found. It's serious for sure, but I thought if the BBC looked more deeply, they would find more. Mica mining is also horrendous. There are big safety concerns about what can be around those deposits too. The conglomerate companies can't wash their hands of this, they are responsible for knowing and for being on top of their supply chains. 🥰
I gotta be real, I never really thought about this much. I've certainly noticed the cruelty free labels, but they are so ubiquitous on my skincare and haircare products that I just assumed it was the default. With that ubiquity, however, comes a bit of skepticism because there's always an exception or work around, such as potentially required testing in an overseas market, that puts the designation into question when you zoom out! With that said, finding the balance between wanting to do better for the world and the stark realities akin to "we live in a society...." often clash for me. My philosophy is that even if not perfect, even a little is better than most, so it's not utterly fruitless like it feels most of the time. Like, I still recycle even though most of that will not actually be recycled in my local market after sorting.
Yep, I agree, something is better than nothing. It's an individual decision too, no one should be judged. I am not "perfect" at all with this, even with skincare where I am mostly CF. I find the labelling and claims very confusing and I hate that I can't personally go verify a brand if I want to find that information. I have to rely on organisations that I really know very little about. Have a fab Sunday 🥰
Thank you so much for this video. Similar to yourself, I'm cruelty-free in my skincare but not entirely in my fragrance collection. Mostly because the information is so difficult to track. Brands will claim cruelty-free, but then another site will say they are not. It gets confusing.
No problem 😊 I agree, it's so, so confusing! I think a standard statement covering all the points would really be lovely to see across brand websites and make things so much clearer! I found the prep for this video quite perplexing at points. It also made me realise that wording is very important, e.g. like with Penhaligon's. Thanks for watching 🥰
I try to be cruelty free in skincare and in fragrance. But this video was really eye oppening to a lot of people, i'm sure! Thank you for your work!! Oh, "Jeanne en Provence" , "Essence" and "O Boticário" are also cruelty free companys (the first is french and the later brazilian). Most of my perfumes are from them. My skincare brands are: Dr. Organics and Weleda. I just think that, if it's not for medical/survival purposes- but for our own vanity-, that we buy this things, then... i don't have to really think about it. I have a dog, i would not be happy if she was subjected to this type of horrible testing... So that's my rule of thumb, if it's for that type of purpose (beauty): i only buy cruelty free.
Yes I agree with that. The issue for me is how much is animal testing going on in China in reality and would better reporting make this all clearer for consumers? I think, like medical use, cosmetic animal testing in any country, by any brand, should be declared on a public worldwide register. That way everything would be transparent. Thanks for the cruelty free brand suggestions, I've heard of the Brazilian one and I've used Dr Organics and Weleda. They're good! Thanks for watching 🥰
Most indies like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Arcana Wildcraft, Alkemia, House of Nocturne Alchemy, Nui Cobalt, Possets, Solstice Scents are cruelty free and their perfume is gorgeous.
Hi Claire! I agree with you, I don't understand why all products would have to be tested on animals. I think there are enough people who would do it for some money 😅 I personally don't actively go for vegan options, because I love having a wide choice with fragrances. But I am happy that humans don't globally use civet and other animal products of that kind anymore, that really is horrible. Thanks for the explanation, it's a complicated topic and you did a great job!❤
Yes I agree, civet musk was really very cruelly obtained. I'm happy that's no longer a thing. AI modelling of chemicals based on information from others and known human protein structures along with Ames assays would be reasonable I think as a first pass and then yes, human volunteers if necessary perhaps or even induced pluripotent stem cell derived models. Longer term toxicity is not something we are ever going to see with short term / acute animal testing anyway. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thanks Claire. It is tricky. Brands can say we don’t test our products on animals, but some of the individual ingredients may have been tested by other companies before being purchased by the finished product brand. This was a concern some years ago, mainly in regard to skincare and cosmetics. 😃🇦🇺
Yes, I find this point very difficult too, where's the line is a hard question to ask. Of course, at the most extreme level, ethanol will have been used on animals at some point, but does that mean that every fragrance with alcohol is not cruelty free?! I am not sure that I fully understand this area at all! I spent a long time reading about all this but it's just not clear to me. 🤦♀️
Interesting, Claire, thank you. Actually, there had been a controversy surrounding Francesca Bianchi fragrances containing I think it was castoreum, she had to announce that it would no longer be the case but it made me distrust her ethics in general, I would never buy perfume from her brand.
I know that Francesca Bianchi's fragrances aren't vegan but yeah, castoreum is also a cruelty issue because of how it's harvested. People do need to know if fragrances contain that so they can make up their own minds whether to buy. I have always wanted to try her fragrances as they seem to get a lot of love, but I never have. Thanks for the information and for watching 🥰
Francesca used to use real castoreum and civet and she talked about it in some interviews few years back and also about the fact that she was working on her own accords to replace both. She actually has a statement about it on her website. ''Castoreum and Civet: both ingredients are derived from animal glands. Unfortunately their extraction is not cruelty-free, so I have replaced these fantastic but unethical ingredients with safe replacers that are not harming animals.'' You can find it at the bottom of the website under Sustainability and Ethics.
@@petra.andersen Thank you Petra, very helpful to know, well, I suppose she did do the right thing in the end, it also shows consumers have some power.
Hi Claire 🤗 I love this topic I’ve noticed so many brands claiming to be vegan and I’ve always questioned the validity, you are amazing! The amount of research you must have done! I thank you for diving into such a complex conversation 😉
Thank you ❤️ Vegan is also really hard to work out, because you have to look at every fragrance, I'll leave that one for another video 😂 I am not even veggie so I am fine with honey, butter extracts and beeswax in fragrances. It's nice for people to know from product descriptions whether they are vegan or not though I think ☺️ Thanks for watching 🥰
I've seen that Sana Jardin are a very socially conscious brand. I will be talking about your range of fragrances in more depth this Saturday ✨ thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for this very interesting video. I wonder what replaces animal testing in cruelty free products. I fear that companies would do this on human beings from third world countries who don't have a powerful lobby like PETA.
@@momijiyamanishi4548 Thank you. I feel like many consumers use this "cruelty-free" label/marketing claim to feel good about themselves without doing anything about the fact there are children in their neighborhood who are abused, neglected or go hungry. In addition, if people really care about cruelty, they should look at the mica mining industry and the exploitation in developing ("3rd world") countries of poor people, including children, as they mine mica which appears in so many cosmetics and skincare products with the so-called "cruelty-free" marketing claim.
I think there are several different issues here, but really cosmetic testing on animals is unnecessary with alternatives such as AI modelling from previous data, Ames tests and other in vitro tests such as use of skin models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells or from unwanted biopsy materials. Human volunteer skin testing is also an option if required.
I don't think anyone who is cruelty free would want to see cruelty against humans either. I'm sure those people are also advocates for fair trade and ethical employment practices too. More information and investigations into company practices is required in order to prevent this. Greater discussion around these topics is needed. People need to make videos 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume I'm not that optimistic. "Cruelty free" sells. Brands promote what sells, follow trends. They don't have values. Some very small ones maybe but they don't make a real difference. As long as "cruelty free" -labels only care about animals they are feel good ingredients for potential customers but completely worthless in my opinion.
Hey Claire! What an important - and complicated - topic. Thank you for this video. My husband and I have been vegetarian (and often vegan) over the last 8+ years. It’s a challenge and a slippery slope. Much of the reason we did this was animal cruelty (and environmental) yet I still buy and wear leather 🤷🏼♀️😳 From my experience, vegan/cruelty-free can be really tough to navigate and it’s certainly not black & white. I agree with you: it seems to me that fragrance is one place where animal testing seems unnecessary.
Hi Jill! Thank you! I just thought I'd not seen anyone talk about this so thought I'd have a go! I think people just need to make up their own minds on all of this, have their own lines with what they are comfortable with and actually just understand the issues involved, even if people do nothing. Militancy is not helpful either way, it needs to be a personal choice. Also no one is "perfect" whatever that perfect is judged to be. I am full of contradictions in my own choices, I wear cruelty free makeup, have mostly CF skincare, eat meat only rarely but love the look and feel of leather 🤷♀️ I found this topic all sooo complicated... only with making this video do I now feel I understand some of it, but there are still so many unknowns! There's a lot of trust going into what brands say and into the certification systems. More transparency with what goes on with cosmetic testing in China would be useful too. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank your for talking about this important aspect. Unfortunately a majority of the frag community does not seem to care. Too big is the wish to own a certain a certain scent. In my oppinion, nothing that causes fear, abuse and pain could ever be beautiful.
Well, I'm not cruelty free with fragrance, but I did notice how much people talk about it within the makeup community but how hardly anyone does within the fragrance community. It's clear from the response to this video that some people care a lot about this topic but also that the majority do not. I had some very odd reactions to this video; a few people were worried about humans being tested on for example and others were concerned that the cruelty free status label was negating other ethical issues. I think for me, the problem of animal testing is a completely separate issue that needs talking about. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thanks for this video Claire❤ I feel like such a hypocrite because i love animals and i would never hurt 1, but then again i do have them on my dinner plate and most of my favourite perfumes are animalic.....I know most of them are synthetic now but i've been a perfume lover for over 30 years so i'm pretty sure at some point had the real deal
Thank you. Yeah same. I have mainly non-cruelty free fragrances in my collection. I do appreciate some brands' efforts to be cruelty free and to be transparent but I also think that to a degree, in places banning animal testing, most people don't see any issue now. It takes a lot of investigation to get to whether this is actually happening or not. I'm still not sure I've fully covered this 🤷♀️ I feel like it can't just be China, but they get singled out because the market size is huge. Also I think in the past, use of animal products in fragrance was just how they were made. People probably didn't think too much about it... Thanks for watching ❤️ have a lovely Saturday 🥰
Thank you for trying to bring more awareness to this issue. Also, another great cruelty free fragrance brand is Henry Rose. They're also transparent with their ingredients.
Great topic Claire. I have a list from " cruelty free kitty" all of my make-up...shampoo is cruelty free legit. Sadly most perfumes test on animals 😢 Of course there are a few but this really needs to change! Animals shouldn't be tortured for us to smell good!! Ive researched this and there ARE many ways to test fragrance. I don't know why this cruelty even continues BUT Dove and Covergirl have got on board...both now cruelty free sooo there is hope moving forward. Thanks Claire 💚💚
Yes Cruelty free Kitty is a great source of information. I agree, it seems harder with fragrance than other categories, I guess because they are an infrequently purchased product and require large markets to be really profitable and are made by huge conglomerates for whom China is an important and profitable market. Smaller brands are really where it's at. I'm reviewing a cruelty free vegan perfume range on Saturday. Absolutely! I was really happy about Dove! We don't have Covergirl here or at least not widely available so I've not tried their products. Thanks for watching, happy you enjoyed this! 🥰
I don’t think much about cruelty free perfume however I think after hearing this video it’s something I need to think about more. Thank you and great job
It's a complex area as you say Claire, with cruelty free brands owned by non cruelty free companies. I hang my head in shame as I am guilty of having fragrances from non cruelty free brands, yet I always try and buy cruelty free make up and skincare. I'm not bothered about whether something is vegan or not; to me it's the cruelty aspect that's important. It's abhorrent that animals are tortured for our vanity. On a lighter note I'm sorry haven't posted you the sample of Chloe Nomade Absolu yet. I was waiting for sample atomisers to be delivered. They arrived yesterday - one hundred, not the ten I thought I'd ordered! 🤦 If you could use some let me know. Have a great weekend 💖
No worries about the fragrance sample! I've had the busiest week for many months at work (not been home before 8 any day) so I wouldn't have got to sniff it this week probably properly. How did you order 100 instead of 10?! 😂 I have 170 right now so I'm good, but thanks ☺️ I really don't know what to think about cruelty free labelling, I like the principal, but the lack of information regarding testing for products where it's not banned is very frustrating! There's no way of knowing for sure if brands are or aren't cruelty free, faith has to be in the certification systems and again, I don't feel like I know enough about those either! 🤦♀️
You must be feeling exhausted Claire! Hope your weekend is relaxing 🤞 I have no idea! I just missed a O somehow; they only cost £3.45! For 100 🤷 I think Essential Parfums are cruelty free. I'd love for you to test some and do a video with your thoughts 💖
Wow, where did you get those from!!! That's insanely cheap! 🤣 Mmm I think I have Rose Magnetic and that's it. I will look into getting a few more. Sorry for the slow reply. Work should calm down a bit soon. 🤦♀️
eBay! Unfortunately probably not the best quality though! I love Rose Magnetic. I also have a decant of Divine Vanilla which is meant to be very similar to PdM's Herod. Orange X Santal and Fig Infusion are nice too. I hope work calms down a bit soon. I have to apologise for still not posting you the Chloe Nomade Absolu; car problems which hopefully will be sorted soon 🤞
Thanks for your video Claire! I love Maison Matine, Lush, Bon Parfumeur and Lolita Lempicka❤, great cruelty free fragrances🐰 Please could you do a video about endocrine disruptors in perfume? (phtalates, galaxolide, BHT, benzophenone, etc...) This is very worrying for our personal health ( chronic diseases, endometriosis, fertility...) and for the environment... thanks😊
Ooh yes! Maison Matine! A good one 👍 I have always been a bit shy of talking about safety issues because I worry about sounding sensationalist. I have been asked before to talk about the safety of "synthetic ingredients" and that was just way too broad. It takes a lot of reading to be able to be confident in the information that I present. I will look into those particular chemicals, I know for a fact one was banned last year, but I know a UK fragrance ingredient distributor still has the product on their website on sale so clearly it's not been banned from sale. Thanks for watching 🥰
I love this video ❤ very informative. I went cruelty free with my perfumes a couple of years ago and is just like you say, it is up to each person to determine a definition of cruelty free. For me, brands that sell in China are automatically not cruelty free. I am really happy that more and more people are talking about cruelty free perfumes. Just having a video available could spark the curiosity in someone to think "maybe I want to go CF" so thank you for that 💖
Yep, exactly! I just want to prompt discussion. It's everyone's personal decision, but knowing the issues involved can be helpful. Btw I got called a lefty woke eco feminist this morning 😂 I mean, is that an insult?! 😂 Someone took great offence to my musk video discussing synthetic and not deer musk in fragrances 🤷♀️ I think they completely missed the point... Thanks for watching 🥰
Another informative video, Claire. A touchy issue for a lot of people in the world. Veganism in my perfumes isn’t of concern for me as I’m not vegan and I would be a hypocrite demanding such from products I buy and use. Cruelty-free certification does matter to me, I don’t want animals to be tested on for my vanity.
Yep, me too, not a vegan. I eat honey and butter and use beeswax lip balms, I also wear leather as it lasts so much longer than pleather. I have boots, bags and belts that are 20 years old that I still regularly use. I think my original curiosity with this subject was whether cruelty free was an issue still in countries where animal testing for cosmetics is banned because of testing in other countries. I've come to the conclusion that I still don't know 😂 I don't think there's enough information on the testing that goes on in countries where it's not banned or under what circumstances or information from brands regarding their policies.
@@dr.claire.perfume yes, very true for leather, it does long outlast vegan pleather. I’ve bought pleather handbags and belts and they generally disintegrate with regular use quite quickly and ends up in the garbage. As for animal testing, you’re absolutely right about the lack of information and some of which can be easily concealed from consumers.
@@mamoni7703 I had one pair of pleather boots and one pair of shoes and I swore that was it. I only buy leather now, some new, some secondhand. People do tell me there are different quality pleather products though and that they've improved. ☺️
Thanks for this information. I also am cruelty free in skincare and makeup. I rarely consume animal products for food. I’m thankful for the synthetic versions of scent extracts. I don’t strictly look for cruelty free for fragrance and this is something I’ve been struggling with so it was nice to listen to you present the topic and options.
I find it odd that I don't so much make the distinction with fragrance but do with makeup especially and mostly with skincare. I guess just thinking about this and being aware of the issues is a good step, whatever our decisions. People talking about it all will make companies see that there is a discussion to be had and that clear information is important. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire, love your videos, appreciate you've made this one too. Not sure if anyone else has commented about this but I've noticed a couple of your videos have a slight delay of your audio to the visual.
I am sorry about that. I've had a few people say. I've been trying different things. I turned off stabilisation on my phone camera and thought it had solved it, but clearly not. Is it a thing in this video? I will try a new editing software this week. Can you please let me know if you see it next week? Thanks for your help 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume it's maybe a 1/4 second off in this video & I remember seeing it in a previous one, not sure if it was the last one. Will let you know next video if it's still happening. 😊
I guess that is a controlled word, at least in the EU and UK. There are definitions for it, although from what I've read, I think some people might be surprised by what is actually allowed. Everything is very complicated for sure 😂
Hi Claire, good food for thought. While they're not the same, clean perfume and cruelty-free are two categories I confuse often. Usually, I do not purchase clean fragrances because in my experience, they have poor longevity. Regarding cruelty-free, unless someone is actively testing, I don't care because information from animal and human testing must be compiled in global databases. The healthcare and medications all go through animal testing and human trials, and I certainly benefit from that. (However, there should be standards for least amount of cruelty possible. I had an acquaintance who tested products on animals, and she told me the mice were taped down taped (!), and the entire board, even if some where still alive. I don't see how anyone can sign off on that. If a fragrance is manufactured in China, I will not buy period. China's health standards are anyone's guess.
I think animal testing for cosmetics and for medical and research reasons are two very different issues for me. There are huge drives to reduce, refine and replace in medical research. It's pretty hard, at least in the UK to do any testing and it's very, very expensive. You need a personal licence, a project licence and an establishment licence before you can do anything. Each requires extensive training and inspections. In the UK at least, and likely the EU too, as they adopted rules similar to ours in 2013, it's well regulated and cruelty is minimised. I don't know about what happens in other places. Animal testing for medical research and products can be critical for pre-clinical work, but for cosmetics, it just seems entirely superfluous and frivolous to me. Regarding China, I think you'd be hard pressed to avoid buying something in personal care without ingredients made in China at the very least, here in the UK, the final stage of manufacture is what determines the "made in" label, so something can be almost entirely manufactured outside and finished here and it would be labelled "made in the UK". Although I think China probably has very good safety controls for its personal care products as that market will likely be very important to its economy. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for the information. It's difficult, because some brands get certified by PETA and start selling to China afterwards. You never really know for sure... I think Commodity are cruelty free, as well.
Yes, that's what I've begun to realise. I remember thinking Wet n Wild makeup were ok, then suddenly not 🤦♀️ it's the same with fragrance. And yes, you're right, Commodity are cruelty free. 🥰
As always you hit it out of the park with your research ,lots of options for the Cruelty free and yes I must remember to mention dossier is cruelty free Have a great weekend Claire 💓
Thank you for this! Definitely one of the reasons I like buying from clone houses is this reason. Great video! Looking forward to your video on the BBC investigation.
Hi 🥰 That is werry interesting too hear about. So much have changed and it can be confusing writh the different certification off different bunnies and more. Thank you so much, I like your video werry much, it gives us another perspective on perfumes. Big hugs from Denmark. 💝🌹🥰
Thank you 🥰 it's certainly is very confusing! I'm happy you enjoyed the video. I do try to talk about things that other people don't, so that's lovely to read. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you Claire this was a very complex multi faceted tricky topic to cover. The fact there is no definition makes it so very hard. It almost reminds me of the "vegan" food thing back in the day that could contain a certain percentage of animal product... These definitions are very loose deliberately and like you said incrediblely hard to track as there's so many parts to where our fragrance comes from. Now I'd like to be cruelty free but I'm not there yet I don't think. The China factor is complex, as a former EU Citizen i can sympathise with their idea of protecting their population through stringent rules. Yes I don't agree with animal testing but they don't do it on their own products now. All cultures are different and just because one part of the world does things differently doesn't mean we have the right to judge others. And which Western Country's hands are clean? China will probably eventually change but it's upto them and the brands couldn't give a chuff, it's money money money and that's not exclusive to perfume brands. I mean the UK and US sell weapons used in genocide, so yea let's not throw stones ey... Not you but from reading some of the comments 😳 wow. I think this was so very balanced and factual as ever. You're one of the best there is to handle topics like this. I think my conclusion is we just have to make our own mind up, not be so judgey and wait for the law to catch up, and that's determined in the end by us the consumer cos money trumps morals. And only 44 nations, we are the minority at the moment. I'm a big OWB lover they are probably my favourite. Also science is not "woke" just saying 😊
Yes you're right, it's all about money. And China clearly trust their homemade products, which shows they are doing it for reasons that they believe will protect their citizens (that or their home grown cosmetics economy 😂). Absolutely the UK aren't a shining example of protecting human rights at all right now; the Rwanda scheme, the quashing of the right to peaceful protest and yes, supply of weapons to various conflicts. I did try to make this from the point of view of just prompting some discussion. I'm not telling people what to do, only about the options out there and what cruelty free actually is because truly I didn't understand it for a while, I find it hard to know where the lines are, for example, how far do you go to say the ingredients weren't tested on animals? That is only one of many tricky aspects here. A lot of based on opinion and what people individually want to follow. Thanks for watching, love your "woke lefty eco feminist" 😂 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume haha well I think I only watch "eco lefty feminist" types 🤣. Yea it was a good thought provoking video. Not an easy subject for sure. And the companies get away with being untransparent, ultimately Capitalism and this sort of thing can do and say what it wants to a point. I'm very much at a point where I would hope there was never any testing and I'm pretty against it, however I guess we aren't at that stage anywhere in the world yet. So companies trying is the best we can hope for. Till the "markets" are forced to truly seek alternatives and make the use of technology. I am glad to learnt more from you 😊
Yep, legislation changes are the only way to stop it entirely and that needs the whole world to agree 🙃 I do think if companies don't see a huge market in China, it's in their interests to get certified as cruelty free, because it marks them out for people and probably will slightly increase sales. The problem is that the certification process seems to be a business in itself sometimes, with payments to some bodies to look into credentials. I'm not sure I appreciate that aspect of this...
Thank you so much, Claire! There were several facts you presented that clarified misconceptions I had. Such helpful and interesting content, as always! 🦋🧡🦋
Thank you! ❤️ I hope you are well. I honestly found all of this very confusing and accurate information lacking when I was trying to research this... But it was good to try to look into it all and put it into a video. 🥰
I know you mentioned kayali as being cruelty free. Have you looked into the other Middle Eastern houses? There seem to be a deluge of houses coming out and with the affordable prices I have to wonder. Thank you.
I am not sure. There's no certification on Lattafa for example... I haven't seen any Middle Eastern brands with certification apart from Kayali. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hmmmmm I wonder if a lot of these Arabian perfume houses follow some of these rules. In as much as I do enjoy them, I sometimes ask several questions about them 🤔
Oh my, many years ago (it was before 2013) I was buying only BUAV-approved products (cosmetics and fragrances). Almost religiously. And then, one day I had to find out that three of the four perfume houses I was using ( Caudalie, L'Occitane and Yves Rocher) had started selling in Mainland China, and that my favorite make-up brand, Urban Decay, had selled itself to l'Oreal. 😢 At that point I stopped searching for cruelty free lists, I just buy according to my common sense, never from big corporations, never from designers. A really ethical brand, and I mean really ethical, since it was born în 1978, way before it was cool, is L'Erbolario. Never tested on animals, never used plastic foils to wrap their products, they not even sell online directly to avoid pollution, only through their official distributors ( in my country it's a pharmacy). Plus decent pricing. Thanks for adressing this! ❤
That's interesting isn't it?! So many brands get swallowed up or just see money when they choose whether to enter markets with animal testing. I think a lot of people felt similarly regarding the Body shop when that got sold to L'Oréal, although I don't really know what standards they originally adhered to in reality! Is L'Erbolario the brand with red writing on a white background? If so, I think I've seen them when I've been on holiday. They do sound like they have ethical principles built into their business model. I like that! I'm happy you enjoyed this, thanks for watching ❤️
I used to be "cruelty free" and I used to blog on cruelty free beauty products. But, as you elucidated in your video, it became increasingly difiicult to agree within the cruelty free community, which brands were cruelty free. It's also becoming very difficult to avoid products that are sold in China, since many smaller CF brands that I really got into were eventually being bought up by the huge parent companies, that of course want to sell in China due to the massive market. I came to the conclusion that, since I am buying in the UK or EU, and we are not allowed to test here, I felt that my personal purchasing choices were not contributing to animal testing.
Yep, I can see that argument totally. I think that is really where I am at the moment. I think the lack of transparency means that I don't want to rely on certification bodies nor on brand information. If it's sold here then the government believes that there's not been testing on ingredients or the completed product by definition. I just wanted to raise awareness of the issues with this video, hopefully I've shown that it's not clear cut and is a personal decision ☺️ thanks for watching Em 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Hi!! If you let me suggest some of their perfumes that I tried and I really enjoyed : Lucienne, Floating, Rose struck, Studied and Bo. They have a mini set whit those perfumes, so I hope you can try them ! Also I love your content!! ❤️ love from Chile 🇨🇱
I think that things have to be tested. They should be performance tested and quality tested. They should not have to be tested on animals. We know a lot about problem ingredients. We also need to look closely at fair trade issues throughout the beauty industry.
Yes for sure! This isn't the only issue at all! Supply chains need carefully examining by conglomerates especially as they have ultimate responsibility for how their fragrances are made. Thanks for watching, have a lovely Sunday 🥰
You’ve opened a whole new can of worms, Claire! As you said, most new formulations are vegan by default but not cruelty-free because they’re owned and produced by big beauty conglomerates that only care about profits. Legally, this is definitely a grey area. I do like my vintage perfumes containing civet and real oak moss. Does that make me a bad person?
@@H.A.-zr2wc I’ll definitely continue loving these fragrances until I use them up or until they go off. I’m not sure whether any of the contemporary niche and indie brands use real civet or leather in fragrances.
@@lukeparfums Yes i will too...i just compared my older Jil Sander No4 to the current Coty version and its so different, its like two different perfumes. Its horrible to say but the animalic notes do make the perfume so much better....makes me want to use up the Coty one first.
@@H.A.-zr2wc They do! That’s why so many vintage lovers lament the banning of animalic ingredients and continue to buy vintage. I had a vintage bottle of Coco EdT. Unlike the current version, it had a real animalic bite to it. Jil Sander No.4 is on my wishlist.
@@lukeparfums vintage coco edt is so good. The current one smells like the cheap/affordable Bill Blass Hot to my nose. I prefer Coco Edp over the current Edt now. Tbh look for a vintage or older bottle of JS no4, dont even bother with the Coty version...its smells like so many we already own
Bizarre about the whaling fears. Anything carved out of a whale would be useless; the stuff has to float at sea for years. At least, that’s my understanding.
Yeah it's weird. It's part of a wider ban on trading in whale products to support conservation efforts and prevent hunting. I don't really get it as I agree, it's not something you can harvest from whales directly from my understanding. It seems like it's a thing in quite a few countries though.
I have to admit I didn't think fragrance is still tested on animals, I really thought that was illegal through law by now, but I will be checking this info on if a brand is cruelty free from now on before purchases. Well, it's only been about 2.5 years since I started working, and I only afforded myself the luxury of buying a Dior Homme Parfum so far.
It's really what you believe, the only way to know for sure is to avoid brands that sell in shops in mainland China, which is quite limiting with mainstream designer fragrances, as most do sell there. It's not an easy topic to find out anything about at all, which makes it even harder for the consumer. Thanks for watching 🥰
It's hard to keep up honestly! It's so complicated... Making this video made realise just how many different factors you have to consider and then it's such an individual judgement... I don't judge people either way.
Great video, Claire! Could you explain the difference between mineral oil and glycerin in skin care products? I know you review perfumes, but I'd really appreciate your opinion about it 😊
Thank you ❤️ I know mineral oil is an occlusive, so it's a barrier, whereas glycerin is a humectant so it draws in water from lower skin layers to hydrate and slightly plump the outer layer (like sugar, which absorbs water). I think they are used together quite often and they are both cheap and widely used. I don't know of any safety concerns with either. Mineral oil clearly comes from petroleum refining and glycerin mainly come from plant sources these days but has in the past been obtained from animals. Is that what you are asking about? Or something else? 🥰
I’m just curious if cosmetics can't be tested on animals, where else can they be tested to ensure their function or that they are not harmful to health?
I think AI modelling is pretty advanced now as testing has been completed on so many chemicals over the years, the amount of information available to feed the models is vast. Really long term toxicity over many years is something animal testing is never going to be able to tell us. We will only be able to guess that from modelling of what the compounds might interact with in the human body. Most fragrances are made from stable chemicals we have used over several years, just in different combinations, so testing might not even be necessary. I also think in vitro models are a growth area, so things like induced pluripotent stem cell derived models of skin and other organs, or on a more basic level, simple Ames tests etc for toxicity. Thanks for watching 🥰
Yes, it is isn't it? They have such a huge Chinese market, but they have that statement saying they don't test, but actually do they mean they don't personally test but they pay for authorities to test where required? Or do they mean they only sell online in China? It would be interesting to know! 🥰
Hello, Claire! I admitt that I don t pay attention to this problem. I do have a rabbit...but I have to say this vegan, raw, cruelty free thing is not a subject I am very interested in. But the idea itself it is honorable. If brands (skincare, fragrances) want to embrace this concept I have no problem wearing this kind of products. To be honest, dear Claire, because psychology is a main interest of mine I have to point out that the study of animal behaviour (dogs, birds, mouses) was a huge progress in understanding human behaviour. At this point I will take the middle way in working with/on animals. But I don t have a problem with cruelty free products. Great video!
I think the study of animals for scientific advancement is a very different thing to their use in cosmetic testing. I would never advocate banning use of animals in science, although reduction, refinement and replacement are always things that should be considered first and always are I think! Similarly, I am by no means cruelty free in fragrances. I am just about cruelty free with makeup and to some extent with skincare and I am not vegan or even veggie, but I thought this subject just isn't discussed much so I thought I'd try to make a video 😂 but I thought it was actually all pretty unclear and quite complicated when I started to look into all of it. Transparency is lacking from brands and certification bodies sadly. Have a fab Sunday, thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume you are right. but I my mind I find it very hard to dissociate this "animal aproach" in different fields. Obtaining results with greatest caution is preferable. But I do understand (as a owner of a pet) people who chose to use cruelty free products.
Yes, I think for scientists, it's been a slow mindset change that sometimes other models are just as good or even more appropriate. It's not always the case though. 😊
As with most of these judgements, it depends who and what you believe. Mancera say they don't test on animals, nor pay others to test for them. I am unsure whether they sell fragrances in China or not, you would have to investigate by perhaps asking the brand directly. I haven't seen any third party endorse Mancera as cruelty free so far.
@@dr.claire.perfume I investigated Mancera this weekend 🥸🧐. They don’t sell in China (store search) and thats a good sign. I contacted the brand via email : Dear Customer, Thank you for your interest. Our products are cruelty free and fully vegan. Our “animal” scents, such as musk or ambergris, are synthetic. For your information, we do not sell our products in China because the Chinese market asks for some specific measures, such as testing on animals, that we do not support. Thank you for your understanding. Best regards,
A product that is tested on animals is not vegan. To be considered vegan it should not contain animal products, not be tested on animals and basicaly not involve any animal exploitations during any stage of its production. So a vegan product is always cruelty free. However, a product labeled as "cruelty free" might not necessarily be vegan.
From the cruelty free kitty website: "These two terms have different meanings and can not be used interchangeably! Some products are cruelty-free and not vegan, and just the same, some products can be vegan and not cruelty-free. Cruelty-free: Not tested on animals. Vegan: Does not contain animal-derived ingredients." You may have your own personal definitions that differ from those in the dictionary etc but this is how the terms are generally used. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Thank you for replying. I know that it might be confusing when seeing different sources saying different things, but cruelty free kitty is wrong here. According to the vegan society site, the definition of veganism is the following: "Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." They also add: "There are many ways to embrace vegan living. Yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey - as well as avoiding animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and places that use animals for entertainment." So, products tested on animals are clearly not vegan. Some sites might confuse veganism with the plant based diet. Cruelty free kitty might not be the best source on veganism. For example, on savemoneycutcarbon site I found this definition for vegan products: "A product is vegan if it does not contain any animal extracts or animal by-products in the product or manufacturing process. It also means that the product hasn't been tested on animals. To be sure, look for the Vegan Trademark." I'm not saying that we should use the savemoneycutcarbon and not cruelty free kitty, but it would definitely be better to just go with the definition of veganism (the one from the vegan society) when deciding if a product is vegan or not. I appreciate the effort you put in your video and it is always a pleasure watching your videos. I wish you best of luck!
@@BlackPeony I think the added confusion here is that cruelty free status can change with the markets used... I think too, if brands are using these definitions when labelling, it's probably more informative to people consuming fragrances that I use the definitions that the companies use because otherwise, people might think it means one thing and actually that not be the reality of the situation. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Yes and no. Certified Vegan - "It indicates products that do not contain animal products or by-products and have not been tested on non-human animals. It also looks at all the steps in the manufacturing and supply chain to ensure that vegan standards are maintained throughout." For brands, vegan also implies cruelty free. However, many consumers might not know what "vegan" means, so I do think it is good to have cruelty free also on the packaging just for clarity. I think that this is the reason why peta has "cruelty free and vegan" on their certification, because some people are just looking for the "cruelty free" part (even though it is kind of redundant since vegan also covers that part). "Cruelty free" does tend to be an ambiguous label. Similarly I have seen "vegan formula" written on some products, which is kind of bs because it can imply that the product might not be vegan and just the constituent ingredients are (since it might go through animal testing after it is developed, and then obtain a non-vegan final product). There are many claims that the manufacturers can make for marketing purposes, which trick customers.
@@BlackPeony to be fair, fragrance products are mostly made of constituent chemicals that have been tested on animals at some point in history, e.g. ethanol, I'm not sure whether there is some kind of cut off date beyond which something is deemed to still be cruelty free despite this? I remember when I was researching this, I did see one source mention a cut off date, but I don't remember which.
As somebody who works in human rights and civil rights, I would prefer that the movement/industry use a less manipulative term than "cruelty-free" which judgmentally implies that if you're not with them, you are "pro-cruelty." It's like when anti-abortionists began using the term "pro-life" to judgmentally claim that anyone who supports a woman's right to choose were "pro-death." This manipulative use of language is really problematic when real cruelty to real human beings, including children, happen everywhere and beauty product users can just say, "I'm cruelty-free; I'm doing my bit!" and go on vapidly with their lives.
I had never thought of the anti-abortion argument's language before, but yes you are right, right to choose / no right to choose is less emotive. Clearly there are many other issues around cosmetics and supply chains than use of animals, it's only one part of this, but I hope people think about all of those issues, not just one 🤞 I hope this video helped to explain what cruelty free means at least. My original question to answer here was if I live in a country where animal testing for cosmetics is banned, do I need to think about cruelty free? And I actually haven't decided, the information provided is really lacking sadly. It's the same with many other issues I think. Lack of information and lack of awareness. Thanks for watching 🥰
I feel like people really don't consider cruelty-free to also include lack of cruelty to humans. And as someone who personally puts more stock and not being cruel to humans than animals, certifications like leaping bunny mean absolutely nothing to me because just because you're not testing on animals doesn't mean you're not using child labor. And no brand is going to admit they're doing something like that if they sell to a western market because we are very big on the whole making ourselves feel morally superior thing. I don't know, I just feel like it's a little hypocritical to be so concerned about testing on animals when most people don't give a s*** about things like horrible working conditions and child labor and don't bother looking into those things
I don't know whether you've seen it, but I have a video on reports of child labour in the perfume industry here: ruclips.net/video/esspDRhIHXQ/видео.html I think they are both very important issues and for the consumer, child labour is better hidden, which means it doesn't figure in their minds sometimes. I hope that when it's visible people sit up and look. I don't know how animal testing has got to the stage where it's the exception, but child labour and poor working conditions in general really have not. 🤷♀️ Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume I actually had it was not meant to be a criticism of you or the video is just a general observation that I find incredibly annoying when talking about things such as cruelty-free. (Also I noticed I have quite a few typos and auto corrects so I will be going and fixing that) I actually have seen that video and I appreciate you bringing it up because I find it absolutely ridiculous that all these people who do fragrance content especially those who love florals seems to be.... politely ignoring for lack of a more PG way of saying it the fact that the companies that are paying their bills are actively using child labor and what I honestly would consider slave labor while simultaneously swearing up and down that they care about people and that they don't work with companies who do bad things. And I understand blind spots but at the end of the day don't claim to care if you're not going to put your money with your mouth is. Go to be fair I am aware we unfortunately been a society that thinks prophet is far more important than people that is very easy to let things slip into the cracks if you're not actively looking for em. Either way I do enjoy your videos, thank you for making them.
I think it's hard as a consumer to sort out who is using child labour and who not. I would bet that the majority of the fragrance industry is if they use naturals. I would also lump in some of the clothing and cosmetics industry too. If there were transparency with supply chains I think we'd all be shocked by just how much is out there...
@@JD-jg2hm I think it depends on your definition of veganism, many products have been tested on animals but do not themselves contain animal ingredients. The dictionary definition for the adjective is "eating, using, or containing no food or other products derived from animals." Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume you’re paying for the use of animals if they’re used for testing. Veganism has nothing to do with a diet but the exploitation of animals ❤️
This is from the cruelty free kitty website: "These two terms have different meanings and can not be used interchangeably! Some products are cruelty-free and not vegan, and just the same, some products can be vegan and not cruelty-free. Cruelty-free: Not tested on animals. Vegan: Does not contain animal-derived ingredients." Clearly your own personal definitions can be different though, but these are what is in general usage with certification bodies. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume regardless of what a site says most fragrances for example don’t contain animal products but are tested on them and aren’t vegan because of that 👍🏼
I guess this is a problem if people disagree with the certification bodies... But I think most brands of fragrance are selling in China currently, so I guess this is where these definitions come to be needed.
Considering China’s very long history of horrific crimes against its own population, I’m surprised they even care about doing any safety testing for the same people. And for anyone who might be weirdly offended by my comment, maybe you should read up on Mao Zedong and Tiananmen Square massacre for starters (not to mention the most recent taboo event)
@@H.A.-zr2wc because she was talking about China and their policies on animal testing for safety in humans and the irony. And I wasn’t commenting to you but rather a fellow intellectual and colleague in the scientific field with whom I enjoy discourse.
China clearly does have very serious human rights issues, but also I live in a country providing weapons to Israel and in which the right to open peaceful protest is being quashed, so I think there are also issues of some kind in most countries. I don't consider myself an intellectual in any field but my speciality, which is very niche and not fragrance. I'm just someone who chats about fragrance and issues on RUclips. I had to read a lot to even begin to understand the issues involved in this. I think it's very complex. And the focus is only on China because of the size of the market there. Let's remember that only 44 of what? 200+ countries in the world don't test on animals.
This is such an important topic. We cannot test on animals.
Yep, I agree, it's not needed at all for cosmetics.
Hi Claire! I am a huge animal lover and always appreciate products which weren’t tested on animals
Yes, it's something I always assumed was so for products made in the UK and EU and US but seemingly not always! 🥰
On a slightly different note, have you heard about the BBC investigation into companies like Lancome and Estee Lauder exploiting their workers on jasmin plantations in Egypt? And whereas the cost of producing a bottle of perfume is about €15 or so, you pay hundreds... Business is business and it's all about profits, I don't think anyone in the industry cares about animals or employees, as long as nobody talks about it. And certifications can be bought, as I heard in the case of sourcing mica by huge beauty companies, which is mined in countries where children are commonly, although illegally, used as workforce.
Yes, I have planned a video 😉 I've just not recorded it yet... It's not surprising really is it? I wasn't shocked by it being a thing. What did surprise me was that this was all that was found. It's serious for sure, but I thought if the BBC looked more deeply, they would find more. Mica mining is also horrendous. There are big safety concerns about what can be around those deposits too. The conglomerate companies can't wash their hands of this, they are responsible for knowing and for being on top of their supply chains. 🥰
I've heard. Its slavery... The crystal trends also. Oh, and the mica!! They explore their workers...
🥰
I gotta be real, I never really thought about this much. I've certainly noticed the cruelty free labels, but they are so ubiquitous on my skincare and haircare products that I just assumed it was the default. With that ubiquity, however, comes a bit of skepticism because there's always an exception or work around, such as potentially required testing in an overseas market, that puts the designation into question when you zoom out!
With that said, finding the balance between wanting to do better for the world and the stark realities akin to "we live in a society...." often clash for me. My philosophy is that even if not perfect, even a little is better than most, so it's not utterly fruitless like it feels most of the time. Like, I still recycle even though most of that will not actually be recycled in my local market after sorting.
Yep, I agree, something is better than nothing. It's an individual decision too, no one should be judged. I am not "perfect" at all with this, even with skincare where I am mostly CF. I find the labelling and claims very confusing and I hate that I can't personally go verify a brand if I want to find that information. I have to rely on organisations that I really know very little about.
Have a fab Sunday 🥰
Thank you so much for this video. Similar to yourself, I'm cruelty-free in my skincare but not entirely in my fragrance collection. Mostly because the information is so difficult to track. Brands will claim cruelty-free, but then another site will say they are not. It gets confusing.
No problem 😊 I agree, it's so, so confusing! I think a standard statement covering all the points would really be lovely to see across brand websites and make things so much clearer! I found the prep for this video quite perplexing at points. It also made me realise that wording is very important, e.g. like with Penhaligon's. Thanks for watching 🥰
It is important to me … thanks for thorough research! ❤
No worries Andreas! I feel you might be a better person to do such a video. 🥰
I try to be cruelty free in skincare and in fragrance. But this video was really eye oppening to a lot of people, i'm sure! Thank you for your work!! Oh, "Jeanne en Provence" , "Essence" and "O Boticário" are also cruelty free companys (the first is french and the later brazilian). Most of my perfumes are from them. My skincare brands are: Dr. Organics and Weleda. I just think that, if it's not for medical/survival purposes- but for our own vanity-, that we buy this things, then... i don't have to really think about it. I have a dog, i would not be happy if she was subjected to this type of horrible testing... So that's my rule of thumb, if it's for that type of purpose (beauty): i only buy cruelty free.
Yes I agree with that. The issue for me is how much is animal testing going on in China in reality and would better reporting make this all clearer for consumers? I think, like medical use, cosmetic animal testing in any country, by any brand, should be declared on a public worldwide register. That way everything would be transparent.
Thanks for the cruelty free brand suggestions, I've heard of the Brazilian one and I've used Dr Organics and Weleda. They're good! Thanks for watching 🥰
Most indies like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Arcana Wildcraft, Alkemia, House of Nocturne Alchemy, Nui Cobalt, Possets, Solstice Scents are cruelty free and their perfume is gorgeous.
Ooh Maddie loves Solstice Scents! I've not heard of the others, but I will look out for them. 🥰
Hi Claire! I agree with you, I don't understand why all products would have to be tested on animals. I think there are enough people who would do it for some money 😅 I personally don't actively go for vegan options, because I love having a wide choice with fragrances. But I am happy that humans don't globally use civet and other animal products of that kind anymore, that really is horrible. Thanks for the explanation, it's a complicated topic and you did a great job!❤
Yes I agree, civet musk was really very cruelly obtained. I'm happy that's no longer a thing. AI modelling of chemicals based on information from others and known human protein structures along with Ames assays would be reasonable I think as a first pass and then yes, human volunteers if necessary perhaps or even induced pluripotent stem cell derived models. Longer term toxicity is not something we are ever going to see with short term / acute animal testing anyway. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thanks Claire. It is tricky. Brands can say we don’t test our products on animals, but some of the individual ingredients may have been tested by other companies before being purchased by the finished product brand. This was a concern some years ago, mainly in regard to skincare and cosmetics. 😃🇦🇺
Yes, I find this point very difficult too, where's the line is a hard question to ask. Of course, at the most extreme level, ethanol will have been used on animals at some point, but does that mean that every fragrance with alcohol is not cruelty free?! I am not sure that I fully understand this area at all! I spent a long time reading about all this but it's just not clear to me. 🤦♀️
Interesting, Claire, thank you. Actually, there had been a controversy surrounding Francesca Bianchi fragrances containing I think it was castoreum, she had to announce that it would no longer be the case but it made me distrust her ethics in general, I would never buy perfume from her brand.
I know that Francesca Bianchi's fragrances aren't vegan but yeah, castoreum is also a cruelty issue because of how it's harvested. People do need to know if fragrances contain that so they can make up their own minds whether to buy. I have always wanted to try her fragrances as they seem to get a lot of love, but I never have.
Thanks for the information and for watching 🥰
Francesca used to use real castoreum and civet and she talked about it in some interviews few years back and also about the fact that she was working on her own accords to replace both. She actually has a statement about it on her website. ''Castoreum and Civet: both ingredients are derived from animal glands. Unfortunately their extraction is not cruelty-free, so I have replaced these fantastic but unethical ingredients with safe replacers that are not harming animals.'' You can find it at the bottom of the website under Sustainability and Ethics.
@@petra.andersen Thank you Petra, very helpful to know, well, I suppose she did do the right thing in the end, it also shows consumers have some power.
Hi Claire 🤗 I love this topic I’ve noticed so many brands claiming to be vegan and I’ve always questioned the validity, you are amazing! The amount of research you must have done! I thank you for diving into such a complex conversation 😉
Thank you ❤️ Vegan is also really hard to work out, because you have to look at every fragrance, I'll leave that one for another video 😂 I am not even veggie so I am fine with honey, butter extracts and beeswax in fragrances. It's nice for people to know from product descriptions whether they are vegan or not though I think ☺️ Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for your support! We are super passionate and creating cruelty free and vegan fragrances - as well as looking after our supply chain ❤❤❤
I've seen that Sana Jardin are a very socially conscious brand. I will be talking about your range of fragrances in more depth this Saturday ✨ thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for this very interesting video. I wonder what replaces animal testing in cruelty free products. I fear that companies would do this on human beings from third world countries who don't have a powerful lobby like PETA.
Right! Humans are animals too.
@@momijiyamanishi4548 Thank you. I feel like many consumers use this "cruelty-free" label/marketing claim to feel good about themselves without doing anything about the fact there are children in their neighborhood who are abused, neglected or go hungry. In addition, if people really care about cruelty, they should look at the mica mining industry and the exploitation in developing ("3rd world") countries of poor people, including children, as they mine mica which appears in so many cosmetics and skincare products with the so-called "cruelty-free" marketing claim.
I think there are several different issues here, but really cosmetic testing on animals is unnecessary with alternatives such as AI modelling from previous data, Ames tests and other in vitro tests such as use of skin models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells or from unwanted biopsy materials. Human volunteer skin testing is also an option if required.
I don't think anyone who is cruelty free would want to see cruelty against humans either. I'm sure those people are also advocates for fair trade and ethical employment practices too. More information and investigations into company practices is required in order to prevent this. Greater discussion around these topics is needed. People need to make videos 😊
@@dr.claire.perfume I'm not that optimistic. "Cruelty free" sells. Brands promote what sells, follow trends. They don't have values. Some very small ones maybe but they don't make a real difference. As long as "cruelty free" -labels only care about animals they are feel good ingredients for potential customers but completely worthless in my opinion.
Hi Claire, as usual, I learned a lot from you. I appreciate all the research you did for us on this! Great video
Thank you ❤️ I tried, but this is very complex with no real answers for the most part, just opinions. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hey Claire! What an important - and complicated - topic. Thank you for this video. My husband and I have been vegetarian (and often vegan) over the last 8+ years. It’s a challenge and a slippery slope. Much of the reason we did this was animal cruelty (and environmental) yet I still buy and wear leather 🤷🏼♀️😳 From my experience, vegan/cruelty-free can be really tough to navigate and it’s certainly not black & white. I agree with you: it seems to me that fragrance is one place where animal testing seems unnecessary.
Hi Jill! Thank you! I just thought I'd not seen anyone talk about this so thought I'd have a go! I think people just need to make up their own minds on all of this, have their own lines with what they are comfortable with and actually just understand the issues involved, even if people do nothing. Militancy is not helpful either way, it needs to be a personal choice. Also no one is "perfect" whatever that perfect is judged to be. I am full of contradictions in my own choices, I wear cruelty free makeup, have mostly CF skincare, eat meat only rarely but love the look and feel of leather 🤷♀️
I found this topic all sooo complicated... only with making this video do I now feel I understand some of it, but there are still so many unknowns! There's a lot of trust going into what brands say and into the certification systems. More transparency with what goes on with cosmetic testing in China would be useful too. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank your for talking about this important aspect. Unfortunately a majority of the frag community does not seem to care. Too big is the wish to own a certain a certain scent. In my oppinion, nothing that causes fear, abuse and pain could ever be beautiful.
Well, I'm not cruelty free with fragrance, but I did notice how much people talk about it within the makeup community but how hardly anyone does within the fragrance community. It's clear from the response to this video that some people care a lot about this topic but also that the majority do not. I had some very odd reactions to this video; a few people were worried about humans being tested on for example and others were concerned that the cruelty free status label was negating other ethical issues. I think for me, the problem of animal testing is a completely separate issue that needs talking about. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thanks for this video Claire❤ I feel like such a hypocrite because i love animals and i would never hurt 1, but then again i do have them on my dinner plate and most of my favourite perfumes are animalic.....I know most of them are synthetic now but i've been a perfume lover for over 30 years so i'm pretty sure at some point had the real deal
Thank you. Yeah same. I have mainly non-cruelty free fragrances in my collection. I do appreciate some brands' efforts to be cruelty free and to be transparent but I also think that to a degree, in places banning animal testing, most people don't see any issue now. It takes a lot of investigation to get to whether this is actually happening or not. I'm still not sure I've fully covered this 🤷♀️ I feel like it can't just be China, but they get singled out because the market size is huge. Also I think in the past, use of animal products in fragrance was just how they were made. People probably didn't think too much about it... Thanks for watching ❤️ have a lovely Saturday 🥰
Thank you for trying to bring more awareness to this issue. Also, another great cruelty free fragrance brand is Henry Rose. They're also transparent with their ingredients.
Thanks for the suggestion! Transparency and awareness are absolutely key aren't they?! Thanks for watching 🥰
Very complex topic, so much to consider! As always thanks for doing the research for us Claire! 🙏🏼💓 You put so much time and care into your videos 🥰✨
This took a lot of reading and I'm still not sure I got it all 😂 thanks for watching 🥰
Great topic Claire.
I have a list from
" cruelty free kitty" all of my make-up...shampoo is cruelty free legit. Sadly most perfumes test on animals 😢
Of course there are a few but this really needs to change!
Animals shouldn't be tortured for us to smell good!!
Ive researched this and there ARE many ways to test fragrance. I don't know why this cruelty even continues BUT Dove and Covergirl have got on board...both now cruelty free sooo there is hope moving forward.
Thanks Claire 💚💚
Yes Cruelty free Kitty is a great source of information. I agree, it seems harder with fragrance than other categories, I guess because they are an infrequently purchased product and require large markets to be really profitable and are made by huge conglomerates for whom China is an important and profitable market. Smaller brands are really where it's at. I'm reviewing a cruelty free vegan perfume range on Saturday.
Absolutely! I was really happy about Dove! We don't have Covergirl here or at least not widely available so I've not tried their products.
Thanks for watching, happy you enjoyed this! 🥰
I don’t think much about cruelty free perfume however I think after hearing this video it’s something I need to think about more. Thank you and great job
Well hopefully this just made people more aware of what cruelty free means. I really wasn't sure before researching for this. Thanks for watching 🥰
Well researched, super informative and interesting video as always!! Thank you!
Thank you! 🥰
It's a complex area as you say Claire, with cruelty free brands owned by non cruelty free companies. I hang my head in shame as I am guilty of having fragrances from non cruelty free brands, yet I always try and buy cruelty free make up and skincare. I'm not bothered about whether something is vegan or not; to me it's the cruelty aspect that's important. It's abhorrent that animals are tortured for our vanity.
On a lighter note I'm sorry haven't posted you the sample of Chloe Nomade Absolu yet. I was waiting for sample atomisers to be delivered. They arrived yesterday - one hundred, not the ten I thought I'd ordered! 🤦 If you could use some let me know.
Have a great weekend 💖
No worries about the fragrance sample! I've had the busiest week for many months at work (not been home before 8 any day) so I wouldn't have got to sniff it this week probably properly. How did you order 100 instead of 10?! 😂 I have 170 right now so I'm good, but thanks ☺️
I really don't know what to think about cruelty free labelling, I like the principal, but the lack of information regarding testing for products where it's not banned is very frustrating! There's no way of knowing for sure if brands are or aren't cruelty free, faith has to be in the certification systems and again, I don't feel like I know enough about those either! 🤦♀️
You must be feeling exhausted Claire! Hope your weekend is relaxing 🤞 I have no idea! I just missed a O somehow; they only cost £3.45! For 100 🤷
I think Essential Parfums are cruelty free. I'd love for you to test some and do a video with your thoughts 💖
Wow, where did you get those from!!! That's insanely cheap! 🤣 Mmm I think I have Rose Magnetic and that's it. I will look into getting a few more. Sorry for the slow reply. Work should calm down a bit soon. 🤦♀️
eBay! Unfortunately probably not the best quality though!
I love Rose Magnetic. I also have a decant of Divine Vanilla which is meant to be very similar to PdM's Herod. Orange X Santal and Fig Infusion are nice too.
I hope work calms down a bit soon. I have to apologise for still not posting you the Chloe Nomade Absolu; car problems which hopefully will be sorted soon 🤞
No worries, I hope it's not too expensive. Thanks for the Essential Parfums tips!
Hey Claire. This was a very informative video. I didn’t know there wasn’t a legal definition for cruelty free.
Hi Liz. It's a tricky area really! There seem to be lots of unknowns.
This was absolutely brilliant, Claire! And thank you so much for the mention xx
Oh thank you! ❤️ And thanks for your help! 🥰
Hi Claire!! Finally getting to catch up on videos, I've been away for the weekend! 😁 This is going to be an interesting one!
Hi Tammy, no worries, I've been busy at work these last few weeks, til 7/8 in the evening so I'm way behind. 🤦♀️
Thanks for your video Claire! I love Maison Matine, Lush, Bon Parfumeur and Lolita Lempicka❤, great cruelty free fragrances🐰
Please could you do a video about endocrine disruptors in perfume? (phtalates, galaxolide, BHT, benzophenone, etc...) This is very worrying for our personal health ( chronic diseases, endometriosis, fertility...) and for the environment... thanks😊
Ooh yes! Maison Matine! A good one 👍
I have always been a bit shy of talking about safety issues because I worry about sounding sensationalist. I have been asked before to talk about the safety of "synthetic ingredients" and that was just way too broad. It takes a lot of reading to be able to be confident in the information that I present. I will look into those particular chemicals, I know for a fact one was banned last year, but I know a UK fragrance ingredient distributor still has the product on their website on sale so clearly it's not been banned from sale. Thanks for watching 🥰
I love this video ❤ very informative. I went cruelty free with my perfumes a couple of years ago and is just like you say, it is up to each person to determine a definition of cruelty free. For me, brands that sell in China are automatically not cruelty free.
I am really happy that more and more people are talking about cruelty free perfumes. Just having a video available could spark the curiosity in someone to think "maybe I want to go CF" so thank you for that 💖
Yep, exactly! I just want to prompt discussion. It's everyone's personal decision, but knowing the issues involved can be helpful.
Btw I got called a lefty woke eco feminist this morning 😂 I mean, is that an insult?! 😂 Someone took great offence to my musk video discussing synthetic and not deer musk in fragrances 🤷♀️ I think they completely missed the point... Thanks for watching 🥰
thank you for making this video! Great information, I'll have to check out Zoologist, didn't know that they were cruelty free!
No problem, thanks so much for watching 🥰
Another informative video, Claire. A touchy issue for a lot of people in the world. Veganism in my perfumes isn’t of concern for me as I’m not vegan and I would be a hypocrite demanding such from products I buy and use. Cruelty-free certification does matter to me, I don’t want animals to be tested on for my vanity.
Yep, me too, not a vegan. I eat honey and butter and use beeswax lip balms, I also wear leather as it lasts so much longer than pleather. I have boots, bags and belts that are 20 years old that I still regularly use.
I think my original curiosity with this subject was whether cruelty free was an issue still in countries where animal testing for cosmetics is banned because of testing in other countries. I've come to the conclusion that I still don't know 😂 I don't think there's enough information on the testing that goes on in countries where it's not banned or under what circumstances or information from brands regarding their policies.
@@dr.claire.perfume yes, very true for leather, it does long outlast vegan pleather. I’ve bought pleather handbags and belts and they generally disintegrate with regular use quite quickly and ends up in the garbage. As for animal testing, you’re absolutely right about the lack of information and some of which can be easily concealed from consumers.
@@mamoni7703 I had one pair of pleather boots and one pair of shoes and I swore that was it. I only buy leather now, some new, some secondhand. People do tell me there are different quality pleather products though and that they've improved. ☺️
Thanks for this information. I also am cruelty free in skincare and makeup. I rarely consume animal products for food. I’m thankful for the synthetic versions of scent extracts. I don’t strictly look for cruelty free for fragrance and this is something I’ve been struggling with so it was nice to listen to you present the topic and options.
I find it odd that I don't so much make the distinction with fragrance but do with makeup especially and mostly with skincare. I guess just thinking about this and being aware of the issues is a good step, whatever our decisions. People talking about it all will make companies see that there is a discussion to be had and that clear information is important. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hi Claire, love your videos, appreciate you've made this one too. Not sure if anyone else has commented about this but I've noticed a couple of your videos have a slight delay of your audio to the visual.
I am sorry about that. I've had a few people say. I've been trying different things. I turned off stabilisation on my phone camera and thought it had solved it, but clearly not. Is it a thing in this video? I will try a new editing software this week. Can you please let me know if you see it next week? Thanks for your help 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume it's maybe a 1/4 second off in this video & I remember seeing it in a previous one, not sure if it was the last one. Will let you know next video if it's still happening. 😊
Thanks 👍
Thanks for the educative insights ❤
No worries! 🥰
I often think 🤔 and wonder how truthful companies are ,like organic for instance ?
I guess that is a controlled word, at least in the EU and UK. There are definitions for it, although from what I've read, I think some people might be surprised by what is actually allowed. Everything is very complicated for sure 😂
Hi Claire, good food for thought. While they're not the same, clean perfume and cruelty-free are two categories I confuse often. Usually, I do not purchase clean fragrances because in my experience, they have poor longevity. Regarding cruelty-free, unless someone is actively testing, I don't care because information from animal and human testing must be compiled in global databases. The healthcare and medications all go through animal testing and human trials, and I certainly benefit from that. (However, there should be standards for least amount of cruelty possible. I had an acquaintance who tested products on animals, and she told me the mice were taped down taped (!), and the entire board, even if some where still alive. I don't see how anyone can sign off on that. If a fragrance is manufactured in China, I will not buy period. China's health standards are anyone's guess.
I think animal testing for cosmetics and for medical and research reasons are two very different issues for me. There are huge drives to reduce, refine and replace in medical research. It's pretty hard, at least in the UK to do any testing and it's very, very expensive. You need a personal licence, a project licence and an establishment licence before you can do anything. Each requires extensive training and inspections. In the UK at least, and likely the EU too, as they adopted rules similar to ours in 2013, it's well regulated and cruelty is minimised. I don't know about what happens in other places. Animal testing for medical research and products can be critical for pre-clinical work, but for cosmetics, it just seems entirely superfluous and frivolous to me.
Regarding China, I think you'd be hard pressed to avoid buying something in personal care without ingredients made in China at the very least, here in the UK, the final stage of manufacture is what determines the "made in" label, so something can be almost entirely manufactured outside and finished here and it would be labelled "made in the UK". Although I think China probably has very good safety controls for its personal care products as that market will likely be very important to its economy. Thanks for watching 🥰
Thank you for the information. It's difficult, because some brands get certified by PETA and start selling to China afterwards. You never really know for sure... I think Commodity are cruelty free, as well.
Yes, that's what I've begun to realise. I remember thinking Wet n Wild makeup were ok, then suddenly not 🤦♀️ it's the same with fragrance. And yes, you're right, Commodity are cruelty free. 🥰
Love your science Videos! 😊 much love from Germany 🥰
Thank you 🥰
As always you hit it out of the park with your research ,lots of options for the Cruelty free and yes I must remember to mention dossier is cruelty free
Have a great weekend Claire 💓
Absolutely! Dossier is a fab option for cruelty free! Thanks for watching Frances ☺️
Thank you for this! Definitely one of the reasons I like buying from clone houses is this reason. Great video! Looking forward to your video on the BBC investigation.
Thank you! ❤️ I hope this was clear for you. I found this topic very complex to navigate! Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume it was very clear and extremely helpful. I'm glad you mentioned Cruelty-Free Kitty as a reference! Such a great website. ❤
@@itsmeheathermarie yes! I had a look at a few and this for sure seemed the clearest!
Hi 🥰
That is werry interesting too hear about.
So much have changed and it can be confusing writh the different certification off different bunnies and more.
Thank you so much, I like your video werry much, it gives us another perspective on perfumes.
Big hugs from Denmark.
💝🌹🥰
Thank you 🥰 it's certainly is very confusing! I'm happy you enjoyed the video. I do try to talk about things that other people don't, so that's lovely to read. Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume
Yes.. 🙃. thank you, I hope you wril keep up making great videos, there are so much too learn. 👍😀
💝🌹🥰
Thanks you 🥰
Thank you Claire this was a very complex multi faceted tricky topic to cover.
The fact there is no definition makes it so very hard. It almost reminds me of the "vegan" food thing back in the day that could contain a certain percentage of animal product... These definitions are very loose deliberately and like you said incrediblely hard to track as there's so many parts to where our fragrance comes from.
Now I'd like to be cruelty free but I'm not there yet I don't think.
The China factor is complex, as a former EU Citizen i can sympathise with their idea of protecting their population through stringent rules. Yes I don't agree with animal testing but they don't do it on their own products now. All cultures are different and just because one part of the world does things differently doesn't mean we have the right to judge others. And which Western Country's hands are clean? China will probably eventually change but it's upto them and the brands couldn't give a chuff, it's money money money and that's not exclusive to perfume brands. I mean the UK and US sell weapons used in genocide, so yea let's not throw stones ey... Not you but from reading some of the comments 😳 wow.
I think this was so very balanced and factual as ever. You're one of the best there is to handle topics like this.
I think my conclusion is we just have to make our own mind up, not be so judgey and wait for the law to catch up, and that's determined in the end by us the consumer cos money trumps morals. And only 44 nations, we are the minority at the moment.
I'm a big OWB lover they are probably my favourite.
Also science is not "woke" just saying 😊
Yes you're right, it's all about money. And China clearly trust their homemade products, which shows they are doing it for reasons that they believe will protect their citizens (that or their home grown cosmetics economy 😂).
Absolutely the UK aren't a shining example of protecting human rights at all right now; the Rwanda scheme, the quashing of the right to peaceful protest and yes, supply of weapons to various conflicts.
I did try to make this from the point of view of just prompting some discussion. I'm not telling people what to do, only about the options out there and what cruelty free actually is because truly I didn't understand it for a while, I find it hard to know where the lines are, for example, how far do you go to say the ingredients weren't tested on animals? That is only one of many tricky aspects here. A lot of based on opinion and what people individually want to follow. Thanks for watching, love your "woke lefty eco feminist" 😂 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume haha well I think I only watch "eco lefty feminist" types 🤣.
Yea it was a good thought provoking video. Not an easy subject for sure. And the companies get away with being untransparent, ultimately Capitalism and this sort of thing can do and say what it wants to a point. I'm very much at a point where I would hope there was never any testing and I'm pretty against it, however I guess we aren't at that stage anywhere in the world yet. So companies trying is the best we can hope for. Till the "markets" are forced to truly seek alternatives and make the use of technology.
I am glad to learnt more from you 😊
Yep, legislation changes are the only way to stop it entirely and that needs the whole world to agree 🙃 I do think if companies don't see a huge market in China, it's in their interests to get certified as cruelty free, because it marks them out for people and probably will slightly increase sales. The problem is that the certification process seems to be a business in itself sometimes, with payments to some bodies to look into credentials. I'm not sure I appreciate that aspect of this...
Always love your informative videos !
Thank you 🥰
Another great clone house is "Divain". They are vegan, cruelty free and offer 700 or so scents to very reasonable prices in a good quality.
I've never heard of them! 😱 I will look them up online 😊 thanks for the recommendation 🥰
I love your channel
Thank you ❤️ that's lovely of you to say! 🥰
Thank you so much, Claire! There were several facts you presented that clarified misconceptions I had. Such helpful and interesting content, as always! 🦋🧡🦋
Thank you! ❤️ I hope you are well. I honestly found all of this very confusing and accurate information lacking when I was trying to research this... But it was good to try to look into it all and put it into a video. 🥰
Great info ! Thanks
Thank you 🥰
I know you mentioned kayali as being cruelty free. Have you looked into the other Middle Eastern houses? There seem to be a deluge of houses coming out and with the affordable prices I have to wonder. Thank you.
I am not sure. There's no certification on Lattafa for example... I haven't seen any Middle Eastern brands with certification apart from Kayali. Thanks for watching 🥰
Hmmmmm
I wonder if a lot of these Arabian perfume houses follow some of these rules. In as much as I do enjoy them, I sometimes ask several questions about them 🤔
I did check Lattafa just to see before I made this as I thought that would be a really good one to include here, but it was a no. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume ☺️☺️😀
Could you please please please make a spreadsheet of the ones you currently know to be cruelty free?
Maybe try Vegan Perfume Girl on IG, I don't maintain a spreadsheet but I know that Maddie does and will have an up to date cruelty free list. 🥰
Oh my, many years ago (it was before 2013) I was buying only BUAV-approved products (cosmetics and fragrances). Almost religiously. And then, one day I had to find out that three of the four perfume houses I was using ( Caudalie, L'Occitane and Yves Rocher) had started selling in Mainland China, and that my favorite make-up brand, Urban Decay, had selled itself to l'Oreal. 😢 At that point I stopped searching for cruelty free lists, I just buy according to my common sense, never from big corporations, never from designers.
A really ethical brand, and I mean really ethical, since it was born în 1978, way before it was cool, is L'Erbolario. Never tested on animals, never used plastic foils to wrap their products, they not even sell online directly to avoid pollution, only through their official distributors ( in my country it's a pharmacy). Plus decent pricing.
Thanks for adressing this! ❤
That's interesting isn't it?! So many brands get swallowed up or just see money when they choose whether to enter markets with animal testing. I think a lot of people felt similarly regarding the Body shop when that got sold to L'Oréal, although I don't really know what standards they originally adhered to in reality!
Is L'Erbolario the brand with red writing on a white background? If so, I think I've seen them when I've been on holiday. They do sound like they have ethical principles built into their business model. I like that!
I'm happy you enjoyed this, thanks for watching ❤️
I used to be "cruelty free" and I used to blog on cruelty free beauty products. But, as you elucidated in your video, it became increasingly difiicult to agree within the cruelty free community, which brands were cruelty free. It's also becoming very difficult to avoid products that are sold in China, since many smaller CF brands that I really got into were eventually being bought up by the huge parent companies, that of course want to sell in China due to the massive market.
I came to the conclusion that, since I am buying in the UK or EU, and we are not allowed to test here, I felt that my personal purchasing choices were not contributing to animal testing.
Also, thanks for all the research and effort put into giving us the latest info on CF 👏❤
Yep, I can see that argument totally. I think that is really where I am at the moment. I think the lack of transparency means that I don't want to rely on certification bodies nor on brand information. If it's sold here then the government believes that there's not been testing on ingredients or the completed product by definition.
I just wanted to raise awareness of the issues with this video, hopefully I've shown that it's not clear cut and is a personal decision ☺️ thanks for watching Em 🥰
No worries! Maddie was very helpful 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume totally. The transparency is defo not there. The video was super clear even if the industry isn't
@@ems_h.eartnotes 👍
My favorite cruelty free brands are Liis and Skaylar ❤
Ooh I've not heard of Liis! I'll have to check them out. Thanks for your suggestions ☺️
@@dr.claire.perfume Hi!! If you let me suggest some of their perfumes that I tried and I really enjoyed : Lucienne, Floating, Rose struck, Studied and Bo. They have a mini set whit those perfumes, so I hope you can try them ! Also I love your content!! ❤️ love from Chile 🇨🇱
Thank you! That's helpful! ❤️ Love back from the UK 🥰
I think that things have to be tested. They should be performance tested and quality tested. They should not have to be tested on animals. We know a lot about problem ingredients. We also need to look closely at fair trade issues throughout the beauty industry.
Yes for sure! This isn't the only issue at all! Supply chains need carefully examining by conglomerates especially as they have ultimate responsibility for how their fragrances are made. Thanks for watching, have a lovely Sunday 🥰
You’ve opened a whole new can of worms, Claire! As you said, most new formulations are vegan by default but not cruelty-free because they’re owned and produced by big beauty conglomerates that only care about profits. Legally, this is definitely a grey area.
I do like my vintage perfumes containing civet and real oak moss. Does that make me a bad person?
I struggle with that too and feel like such a hypocrite now....
@@H.A.-zr2wc I’ll definitely continue loving these fragrances until I use them up or until they go off. I’m not sure whether any of the contemporary niche and indie brands use real civet or leather in fragrances.
@@lukeparfums Yes i will too...i just compared my older Jil Sander No4 to the current Coty version and its so different, its like two different perfumes. Its horrible to say but the animalic notes do make the perfume so much better....makes me want to use up the Coty one first.
@@H.A.-zr2wc They do! That’s why so many vintage lovers lament the banning of animalic ingredients and continue to buy vintage. I had a vintage bottle of Coco EdT. Unlike the current version, it had a real animalic bite to it. Jil Sander No.4 is on my wishlist.
@@lukeparfums vintage coco edt is so good. The current one smells like the cheap/affordable Bill Blass Hot to my nose. I prefer Coco Edp over the current Edt now. Tbh look for a vintage or older bottle of JS no4, dont even bother with the Coty version...its smells like so many we already own
Bizarre about the whaling fears. Anything carved out of a whale would be useless; the stuff has to float at sea for years. At least, that’s my understanding.
Yeah it's weird. It's part of a wider ban on trading in whale products to support conservation efforts and prevent hunting. I don't really get it as I agree, it's not something you can harvest from whales directly from my understanding. It seems like it's a thing in quite a few countries though.
I have to admit I didn't think fragrance is still tested on animals, I really thought that was illegal through law by now, but I will be checking this info on if a brand is cruelty free from now on before purchases. Well, it's only been about 2.5 years since I started working, and I only afforded myself the luxury of buying a Dior Homme Parfum so far.
It's really what you believe, the only way to know for sure is to avoid brands that sell in shops in mainland China, which is quite limiting with mainstream designer fragrances, as most do sell there. It's not an easy topic to find out anything about at all, which makes it even harder for the consumer. Thanks for watching 🥰
I have to confess I haven’t paid much attention to what it says about cruelty free over the years and that’s my bad 😞 it goes so deep 🤦♀️
It's hard to keep up honestly! It's so complicated... Making this video made realise just how many different factors you have to consider and then it's such an individual judgement... I don't judge people either way.
@@dr.claire.perfume 💯
👍
Great video, Claire! Could you explain the difference between mineral oil and glycerin in skin care products? I know you review perfumes, but I'd really appreciate your opinion about it 😊
Thank you ❤️ I know mineral oil is an occlusive, so it's a barrier, whereas glycerin is a humectant so it draws in water from lower skin layers to hydrate and slightly plump the outer layer (like sugar, which absorbs water). I think they are used together quite often and they are both cheap and widely used. I don't know of any safety concerns with either. Mineral oil clearly comes from petroleum refining and glycerin mainly come from plant sources these days but has in the past been obtained from animals. Is that what you are asking about? Or something else? 🥰
That's exactly what I wanted to know! 😃 Thank you so much for answering my question!!! 🤗🌷
@@ingridtorres3411 no problem 🥰
I’m just curious if cosmetics can't be tested on animals, where else can they be tested to ensure their function or that they are not harmful to health?
I think AI modelling is pretty advanced now as testing has been completed on so many chemicals over the years, the amount of information available to feed the models is vast. Really long term toxicity over many years is something animal testing is never going to be able to tell us. We will only be able to guess that from modelling of what the compounds might interact with in the human body. Most fragrances are made from stable chemicals we have used over several years, just in different combinations, so testing might not even be necessary.
I also think in vitro models are a growth area, so things like induced pluripotent stem cell derived models of skin and other organs, or on a more basic level, simple Ames tests etc for toxicity.
Thanks for watching 🥰
Good afternoon to you. ❤ Good morning for me🤗
Good morning to you too 🌞
Good morning Claire ☕️
Hey Frances! What a week 😂 how are you?
@@dr.claire.perfumeI’m doing ok thanks babe ❤
@@HappinessSparkles fab 👍
Hello claire I can't do it without you, the world doesn't turn for me without you, my love. There must be a way for me to come to you, my love.
Thanks for watching 🥰
Funny thing: Ariana Grande's fragrances are cruelty-free, but her relationships are not. 😬
🤣
As far as I heard Ormonde Jayne is also cruelty-free and free of phtalates.
Interesting! I will look at OJ! Thank you 😊
Interesting about Penhaligons 🤨
Yes, it is isn't it? They have such a huge Chinese market, but they have that statement saying they don't test, but actually do they mean they don't personally test but they pay for authorities to test where required? Or do they mean they only sell online in China? It would be interesting to know! 🥰
Hello, Claire! I admitt that I don t pay attention to this problem. I do have a rabbit...but I have to say this vegan, raw, cruelty free thing is not a subject I am very interested in. But the idea itself it is honorable. If brands (skincare, fragrances) want to embrace this concept I have no problem wearing this kind of products. To be honest, dear Claire, because psychology is a main interest of mine I have to point out that the study of animal behaviour (dogs, birds, mouses) was a huge progress in understanding human behaviour. At this point I will take the middle way in working with/on animals. But I don t have a problem with cruelty free products. Great video!
I think the study of animals for scientific advancement is a very different thing to their use in cosmetic testing. I would never advocate banning use of animals in science, although reduction, refinement and replacement are always things that should be considered first and always are I think! Similarly, I am by no means cruelty free in fragrances. I am just about cruelty free with makeup and to some extent with skincare and I am not vegan or even veggie, but I thought this subject just isn't discussed much so I thought I'd try to make a video 😂 but I thought it was actually all pretty unclear and quite complicated when I started to look into all of it. Transparency is lacking from brands and certification bodies sadly. Have a fab Sunday, thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume you are right. but I my mind I find it very hard to dissociate this "animal aproach" in different fields. Obtaining results with greatest caution is preferable. But I do understand (as a owner of a pet) people who chose to use cruelty free products.
Yes, I think for scientists, it's been a slow mindset change that sometimes other models are just as good or even more appropriate. It's not always the case though. 😊
Is Mancera cruelty free??
As with most of these judgements, it depends who and what you believe. Mancera say they don't test on animals, nor pay others to test for them. I am unsure whether they sell fragrances in China or not, you would have to investigate by perhaps asking the brand directly. I haven't seen any third party endorse Mancera as cruelty free so far.
@@dr.claire.perfume I investigated Mancera this weekend 🥸🧐. They don’t sell in China (store search) and thats a good sign. I contacted the brand via email :
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your interest.
Our products are cruelty free and fully vegan.
Our “animal” scents, such as musk or ambergris, are synthetic.
For your information, we do not sell our products in China because the Chinese market asks for some specific measures, such as testing on animals, that we do not support.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Thanks for the info. 😊 That's great news 🥰
A product that is tested on animals is not vegan. To be considered vegan it should not contain animal products, not be tested on animals and basicaly not involve any animal exploitations during any stage of its production.
So a vegan product is always cruelty free. However, a product labeled as "cruelty free" might not necessarily be vegan.
From the cruelty free kitty website: "These two terms have different meanings and can not be used interchangeably! Some products are cruelty-free and not vegan, and just the same, some products can be vegan and not cruelty-free.
Cruelty-free: Not tested on animals.
Vegan: Does not contain animal-derived ingredients." You may have your own personal definitions that differ from those in the dictionary etc but this is how the terms are generally used. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Thank you for replying. I know that it might be confusing when seeing different sources saying different things, but cruelty free kitty is wrong here.
According to the vegan society site, the definition of veganism is the following:
"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as is possible and practicable-all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
They also add:
"There are many ways to embrace vegan living. Yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey - as well as avoiding animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and places that use animals for entertainment."
So, products tested on animals are clearly not vegan. Some sites might confuse veganism with the plant based diet. Cruelty free kitty might not be the best source on veganism.
For example, on savemoneycutcarbon site I found this definition for vegan products:
"A product is vegan if it does not contain any animal extracts or animal by-products in the product or manufacturing process. It also means that the product hasn't been tested on animals. To be sure, look for the Vegan Trademark."
I'm not saying that we should use the savemoneycutcarbon and not cruelty free kitty, but it would definitely be better to just go with the definition of veganism (the one from the vegan society) when deciding if a product is vegan or not.
I appreciate the effort you put in your video and it is always a pleasure watching your videos. I wish you best of luck!
@@BlackPeony I think the added confusion here is that cruelty free status can change with the markets used... I think too, if brands are using these definitions when labelling, it's probably more informative to people consuming fragrances that I use the definitions that the companies use because otherwise, people might think it means one thing and actually that not be the reality of the situation. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume Yes and no.
Certified Vegan - "It indicates products that do not contain animal products or by-products and have not been tested on non-human animals. It also looks at all the steps in the manufacturing and supply chain to ensure that vegan standards are maintained throughout."
For brands, vegan also implies cruelty free. However, many consumers might not know what "vegan" means, so I do think it is good to have cruelty free also on the packaging just for clarity. I think that this is the reason why peta has "cruelty free and vegan" on their certification, because some people are just looking for the "cruelty free" part (even though it is kind of redundant since vegan also covers that part).
"Cruelty free" does tend to be an ambiguous label.
Similarly I have seen "vegan formula" written on some products, which is kind of bs because it can imply that the product might not be vegan and just the constituent ingredients are (since it might go through animal testing after it is developed, and then obtain a non-vegan final product). There are many claims that the manufacturers can make for marketing purposes, which trick customers.
@@BlackPeony to be fair, fragrance products are mostly made of constituent chemicals that have been tested on animals at some point in history, e.g. ethanol, I'm not sure whether there is some kind of cut off date beyond which something is deemed to still be cruelty free despite this? I remember when I was researching this, I did see one source mention a cut off date, but I don't remember which.
As somebody who works in human rights and civil rights, I would prefer that the movement/industry use a less manipulative term than "cruelty-free" which judgmentally implies that if you're not with them, you are "pro-cruelty." It's like when anti-abortionists began using the term "pro-life" to judgmentally claim that anyone who supports a woman's right to choose were "pro-death." This manipulative use of language is really problematic when real cruelty to real human beings, including children, happen everywhere and beauty product users can just say, "I'm cruelty-free; I'm doing my bit!" and go on vapidly with their lives.
I had never thought of the anti-abortion argument's language before, but yes you are right, right to choose / no right to choose is less emotive.
Clearly there are many other issues around cosmetics and supply chains than use of animals, it's only one part of this, but I hope people think about all of those issues, not just one 🤞 I hope this video helped to explain what cruelty free means at least. My original question to answer here was if I live in a country where animal testing for cosmetics is banned, do I need to think about cruelty free? And I actually haven't decided, the information provided is really lacking sadly. It's the same with many other issues I think. Lack of information and lack of awareness. Thanks for watching 🥰
I feel like people really don't consider cruelty-free to also include lack of cruelty to humans. And as someone who personally puts more stock and not being cruel to humans than animals, certifications like leaping bunny mean absolutely nothing to me because just because you're not testing on animals doesn't mean you're not using child labor. And no brand is going to admit they're doing something like that if they sell to a western market because we are very big on the whole making ourselves feel morally superior thing. I don't know, I just feel like it's a little hypocritical to be so concerned about testing on animals when most people don't give a s*** about things like horrible working conditions and child labor and don't bother looking into those things
I don't know whether you've seen it, but I have a video on reports of child labour in the perfume industry here: ruclips.net/video/esspDRhIHXQ/видео.html
I think they are both very important issues and for the consumer, child labour is better hidden, which means it doesn't figure in their minds sometimes. I hope that when it's visible people sit up and look. I don't know how animal testing has got to the stage where it's the exception, but child labour and poor working conditions in general really have not. 🤷♀️ Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume I actually had it was not meant to be a criticism of you or the video is just a general observation that I find incredibly annoying when talking about things such as cruelty-free. (Also I noticed I have quite a few typos and auto corrects so I will be going and fixing that) I actually have seen that video and I appreciate you bringing it up because I find it absolutely ridiculous that all these people who do fragrance content especially those who love florals seems to be.... politely ignoring for lack of a more PG way of saying it the fact that the companies that are paying their bills are actively using child labor and what I honestly would consider slave labor while simultaneously swearing up and down that they care about people and that they don't work with companies who do bad things. And I understand blind spots but at the end of the day don't claim to care if you're not going to put your money with your mouth is. Go to be fair I am aware we unfortunately been a society that thinks prophet is far more important than people that is very easy to let things slip into the cracks if you're not actively looking for em. Either way I do enjoy your videos, thank you for making them.
I think it's hard as a consumer to sort out who is using child labour and who not. I would bet that the majority of the fragrance industry is if they use naturals. I would also lump in some of the clothing and cosmetics industry too. If there were transparency with supply chains I think we'd all be shocked by just how much is out there...
A brand can’t be vegan and not cruelty free, if a product causes harm to animals it isn’t vegan
@@JD-jg2hm I think it depends on your definition of veganism, many products have been tested on animals but do not themselves contain animal ingredients. The dictionary definition for the adjective is "eating, using, or containing no food or other products derived from animals." Thanks for watching 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume you’re paying for the use of animals if they’re used for testing. Veganism has nothing to do with a diet but the exploitation of animals ❤️
This is from the cruelty free kitty website: "These two terms have different meanings and can not be used interchangeably! Some products are cruelty-free and not vegan, and just the same, some products can be vegan and not cruelty-free.
Cruelty-free: Not tested on animals.
Vegan: Does not contain animal-derived ingredients." Clearly your own personal definitions can be different though, but these are what is in general usage with certification bodies. 🥰
@@dr.claire.perfume regardless of what a site says most fragrances for example don’t contain animal products but are tested on them and aren’t vegan because of that 👍🏼
I guess this is a problem if people disagree with the certification bodies... But I think most brands of fragrance are selling in China currently, so I guess this is where these definitions come to be needed.
Humans are animals too.
They are indeed 🥰
Considering China’s very long history of horrific crimes against its own population, I’m surprised they even care about doing any safety testing for the same people. And for anyone who might be weirdly offended by my comment, maybe you should read up on Mao Zedong and Tiananmen Square massacre for starters (not to mention the most recent taboo event)
Why bring politics into a perfume discussion????
@@H.A.-zr2wc because she was talking about China and their policies on animal testing for safety in humans and the irony.
And I wasn’t commenting to you but rather a fellow intellectual and colleague in the scientific field with whom I enjoy discourse.
China clearly does have very serious human rights issues, but also I live in a country providing weapons to Israel and in which the right to open peaceful protest is being quashed, so I think there are also issues of some kind in most countries.
I don't consider myself an intellectual in any field but my speciality, which is very niche and not fragrance. I'm just someone who chats about fragrance and issues on RUclips. I had to read a lot to even begin to understand the issues involved in this. I think it's very complex. And the focus is only on China because of the size of the market there. Let's remember that only 44 of what? 200+ countries in the world don't test on animals.