Je t'aime

If you’re like me and have searched online for cruelty-free information on cosmetics, chances are you’ve realized it’s not as straight forward as you thought it would be. Everyone under the sun seems to be contesting who or what is cruelty-free and who isn’t. It can get confusing and it almost seems like it’s just an issue of personal definitions. Well the truth is the issue is about semantics. Despite all the personal definitions out there I’ve noticed that there are two prevailing schools of thought on what cruelty-free means with cosmetic companies. But first let’s start with the nuances of a cruelty-free product is.

What is a cruelty-free product?

In many countries a company can call their product “cruelty-free” if they themselves did not conduct animal testing. This is misleading though because this only refers to the end product and the company can still call their products “cruelty-free” if they hired a third party to conduct animal testing on their behalf, and if the ingredients purchased by the company has been tested on animals.

To most people, including myself, a product is truly cruelty free when it meets the following criteria.

1. The ingredients used to create an end product has not been tested on animals at any point.
2. The product has not been tested on animals throughout the entire manufacturing process by the company or any third parties.
3. The end product has not been tested on animals.

In order to find out if no animal testing was done on a product you can check contact companies directly and ask them specifically about third-party testing and ingredients testing. You can also check out Leaping Bunny, which is a highly reputable third-party established by 8 animal protection groups to establish the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC). It is the best source for finding out if a company is truly cruelty-free because they evaluate the entire operation of a company before awarding them a cruelty free status. Their standards are strict and very reliable.

What is a cruelty-free cosmetics company?

As I mentioned above there are many debates over what a cruelty-free company is and I’ve come to the conclusion that the major issue is regarding the parent/subsidiary company relationship. A parent company is one that owns or partially owns a subsidiary or “child” company. This is done by purchasing the majority of shares from the child company allowing the parent company to influence operations and management decisions of the child company. Estee Lauder is a famous parent company in the cosmetics industry and some of their subsidiary companies include M.A.C, Bobby Brown, Smashbox, Clinique, etc. I will be using these companies as examples in my explanation of the two prominent schools of thought on this topic.

Read the rest of this entry »

I know there are many people who don’t really like the packaging for Joe Fresh products but I really don’t mind them (except for their open eyeshadow palettes. I think the simple white containers with grey lettering is very fresh and clean, which is the type of image they’re going for. The colour range tends to reflect this as well with their lip products, blushes and most of their eye shadows being along the lines of natural looking beauty. They don’t really have bright colours in these lines. They’re nail polishes are another case, however.

One issue I have been having with their packaging is with the placement of ingredients labels on the product containers. They place the sticker right over the seal of the packaging so in order to use the product you have to remove the ingredients sticker. Look at this picture to see what I mean.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

I think this is ridiculous. The point of the ingredients sticker is educate consumers on the ingredients in the product. Forcing them to remove the sticker is either (or a combination of) thoughtless design, sketchy intentions (wanting their ingredients to not be read), or misaligned machinery. Either way I think it should be rectified. With these two products you can actually remove the sticker and stick it back on further down the tube so you can still open the lid and still have the ingredients label on the container. But their single eyeshadows you can’t do this because the sticker covers the hinge so the container can’t bend open. It’s stupid. Why not put a sticker on the bottom of the container rather than the side then?

So I wrote to Joe Fresh about this and they replied to me with this:

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.

At Joe Fresh we are always looking for new ways to better suit the needs of our customers. That’s why product suggestions such as yours are always encouraged and appreciated. Please be assured that your feedback will be shared with our Design team for further review.

Thank you for contacting us about our Joe Fresh line.

I really liked their response and I sincerely hope they really will take my suggestion into consideration. It’s not rocket science to place an ingredients sticker in a better position on your containers. Other than that, I don’t mind their packaging. Sure some containers (like their cream lipsticks) are flimsy, but it works and that’s why their products are affordable. Most of their packaging is sturdy though and I don’t have any complaints about them.

Note: I purchased the Blistex lip balm before I was aware that Blistex tested on animals and will no longer be purchasing their products after I use up the ones I currently own.

At the beginning of the winter season (I use this term loosly because Toronto winter this year has basically been fall/spring weather) I purchased the Blistex Lip Medex that is supposed to help with cracked, dry lips. I already have dry skin as it is and during the winter it gets especially bad so I bought this bad boy to help my lips stay soft and hydrated throughout the winter season. I was really enjoying it up until when I found out that Blistex tests on animals, which meant I needed to find a cruelty-free alternative. Behold! I found the Burt’s Bees Medicated Lip Balm which is not works just as great but also does not test on animals, is certified organic and is a more natural alternative.

The first shot is what the products look like and the blow shot is what the packaging looks like. They both have a balm texture with a heavy menthol scent. Both of them have a minty tingle when applied to the skin. They glide over smoothly and not a lot is needed to cover your entire lips.

Here is a breakdown of my comparison between the two. You can see that for the most part they are pretty much the same, but Burt’s Bees is organic, natural and cruelty-free.

Cost: Equal
Both are about the same price, give or take some cents. I bought both of these on sale for around $3.99 CAD but they’re regularly priced around $5-6. I believe they’re about $3 USD in the States.

Amount: Equal
Both contain 4.25 g of product in each tube.

Packaging: Equal
Both come in a plastic, cylindrical tube that has a twist bottom that pushes the product up and out of the container. It’s a typical lip balm container.

Texture: Equal
Both have a smooth, balm texture that has a strong scent of menthol. A little goes a long way.

Quality & Longevity: Equal
Both relieve dry, cracked lips and leave lips feeling soft and hydrated. I have to reapply each of these after a couple of hours in the winter, and more often if they are exceptionally dry.

Healthier Choice: Burt’s Bees
The Burt’s Bees medicated lip balm is certified organic and uses more natural ingredients than the Blistex lip balm. Since this is a lip product it is safer to prevent the consumption of potentially harmful ingredients. Choosing an organic option limits the ingestion of presticides and GMO ingredients.

Ethics: Burt’s Bees
The Burt’s Bees medicated lip balm does not test on animals and is completely cruelty-free. This product is not vegan as it contains beeswax. The Blistex lip balm is not cruelty-free.

WINNER: Burt’s Bees
Repurchase: Yes
Recommend: Yes