I’ve been going through all my beauty products and I’m ashamed to say that many of them are not earth-friendly or cruelty-free. Some of them are, but most of them are not. So as my beauty supplies expire, dwindle, and run out, I am going to only buy earth-friendly, cruelty-free beauty products, and this includes perfumes.

Many beauty product and drug manufacturers test their products on animals (usually guinea pigs, rabbits, and rats) before releasing them to the public. Animal testing occurs at different stages of the research and development of a product. These corporations test finished products and they also test individual ingredients. To test toxicity, they often drop cosmetic substances continually into test animals, mainly rabbits (due to their eye sensitivity) to analyze sensitivity to the product, all without anesthesia. Animals suffer from inflamed irises, bleeding, and blindness. Similar experiments are done on test animals’ skin — they experience rashes, brittle or hardened skin, bleeding, disease, and death.

According to a Washington Post article by Gilbert M. Paul, “To check the potency of [Botox] under federal safety rules, Allergan Inc. injects mice with Botox until it finds a dose at which half of the animals die — a rough gauge of potential harm to humans… The controversy over the Botox test highlights the slow pace of government efforts to replace or reduce the large numbers of animals used by pharmaceutical companies, chemical manufacturers, and consumer firms to ensure that their products are safe for people.”

Many manufacturers hire a third party to evaluate the ingredients and product and perform the animal testing. To test fragrances, rabbits are placed in small, confined cages and must breath in the product through a mask for a specific time frame.

Stop feeling guilty about the colognes and perfumes you use and opt for fragrances that are never tested on animals.

Aubrey Organics

Aubrey Organics strives to uphold a code of ethics, values, and environmental responsibilities. All-natural products contain no artificial colors and fragrances, parabens, and petrochemicals. Ingredients are sustainable and plant-based. Products are biodegradable and print materials are crafted from recycled paper.

The Body Shop

Started more than 30 years ago by Anita Roddick, The Body Shop provides make-up and body and hair care products that are ethical and natural. Dedicated to keeping animals safe, The Body Shop uses no animal-derived ingredients and no animal testing is performed. The retailer also has its own Fair Trade program called Community Trade and works with over 20 countries to provide workers with safe working environments and fair wages. The Body Shop is also committed to the environment by working to become Carbon Neutral by 2010, limiting their packaging materials and coming out with 100% recycled product bottles. They have many fragrances that will reel in your olfactory senses including perfumes, body oils, and body sprays.

Hugo Naturals

Created and founded by Hugo Saavedra, Hugo Naturals offers all-natural, made in the USA body care products. Alcohols, artificial colors and fragrances, parabens, and petroleum-derived ingredients have no place at Hugo Naturals. Hugo Naturals Essential Mist is made with purified water and essential oils. You can expect this mist to never stain your clothes and never have been tested on animals.

L’Occitane

With their natural and socially responsible products, L’Occitane provides human products while still respecting the environment. According to their website: “We do not conduct any animal tests on our ingredients, formulations, or finished products. All tests are carried out on human beings as part of a series of clinical tests — patch test in the case of human skin or tests using egg membrane as an alternative.” In 2008, PETA added L’Occitane to their list of cruelty-free companies.

Tsi’La

Founded by Annie Morton and Natalie Szapowalo, Tsi’La provides natural products and has even introduced Tsi’La Organics, natural and organic products derived from essential oils and plant botanicals. Tsi’La perfumes are either certified organic or consist of GMO-free alcohol. Body and face care will be introduced soon.

Other companies that manufacture fragrances that are cruelty-free include (you may recognize these names) Avon, Estee Lauder, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Mary Kay, and Stila Cosmetics. There are so many companies in the cosmetic industry that do not test on animals — ever. For a complete list, please visit Caring Consumer (a PETA organization) or Leaping Bunny (the website for the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics).

In March 2009, the European Union (EU) will ban all animal testing of cosmetic ingredients and products in the EU. Will the United States be far behind?