In the last post of this mini-series we’re going to be going over how to research brands to determine if they are cruelty-free or not. This is typically how I approach brands when I’m doing my own research for my guide. Any new brand I come across I typically ask the same questions but before I reach out to their customer support team I always make sure I do research into the company first as I might get one or two of the questions answered on my own. But it still is a good idea to ask just to make sure everything lines up to what you’re seeing elsewhere.

What do ask a brand:

1. Do you test on animals, at any point during the production of your products?
2. Are your ingredients tested on animals by your suppliers?
3. Does any third party test on animals on your behalf?
4. Do you test on animals when required by law?
5. Are you owned by another company?

And while these are simple questions, sometimes brands just won’t answer you. But more likely than not you will get some type of reply especially if you keep the questions short. Even combining questions if possible and keeping the questions to a minimum of about three. Any more than that and your email is typically dismissed by their team. Which sucks but it happens. Also if the questions are yes or no style, customer service team is more likely to answer them since they don’t need to type out a novel in return to you.

Another major tip is don’t just ask the questions. Keep your email friendly and show that you’re interested in their company. Are you already a customer? Let them know. Are you interested in trying their products? Tell them. Be thankful and polite! This goes without saying. Thank the representative for their time and tell them how much you appreciate their help. No one likes to reply to a dry or robotic email. Though sometimes, the representative you’re dealing with won’t answer all your questions. Don’t give up and keep the exchange going! As just because it looks like they’re evading questions, it doesn’t mean that they test on animals. Sometimes it’s just hard to communicate with the customer service people or your email gets lost among all of the other ones they received that day. It happens. And that’s okay.

Have any tricks of your own? Let us know in the comments. I think that’s everything for this mini-series. Hope you found it helpful as I really had fun writing these posts as it’s something I’m really passionate about.

Love ya,

Mae Polzine

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