Maybe it was a conversation. Maybe a post on social media. Maybe a sentence in a petition I had signed. Something triggered a thought: “Are Lancome products really not animal tested? Or did they mislead me? And was I a fool for so easily buying into it?” Literally buying into it. I don’t even want to think about how much money I’ve given them over the years.

So back to the internet, I went. This time there was even more information. I found a wealth of true information, including an incredible site all about animal cruelty-free cosmetics. It’s called: crueltyfreekitty.com.

The wondeful host, Suzi, has done exhaustive research on cosmetics and toiletries. She identifies the good guys, the bad guys, and reviews all of the products on her site. The information is quite up-to-date and is an excellent resource. I highly recommend her blog.

I’ve always been an animal lover. Always. I’ve volunteered. Rescued suffering animals. I’ve loved them, provided a home for them. I’ve nursed them back to health. I’ve advocated for them. I’ve made donations. I’ve marched for animal rights. (Okay, I did one march for elephants and rhinos to oppose poaching and promote awareness. But that counts, right?)

The bottom line is that I’m passionate about animal welfare. So as an animal advocate, it is important for me to ensure that I consider animal wellbeing in all aspects of my life. There I was living and breathing animal rights, when something happened.

At first, I didn’t fully understand the implications of what animal testing is. The idea that a company might do such a thing as inject products into an animal’s eyeball wasn’t even on my radar. Denial? Silly me. I guess it took some growing up and experience for it to sink in.

And then it was a matter of selfishness. “But I like these products and they work so well! I can’t help that they’re animal tested.” I tried not to think about it. How nice for me in my sheltered little world. I’m sad to admit that this stage lasted a while. What a jerk.

Finally, I decided to investigate. Where to start? My online research was…well…confusing. I thought, maybe I should try PETA. Isn’t their goal for the ethical treatment of animals and all? So I went to the website, which started out great. But as I read further, it got more convoluted and it said that the only way to truly protect animals was to become a vegan. But that would never work for me. I just don’t like vegetables that much, so I might seriously starve. This is so overwhelming. Sigh. But, wait, I was inquiring about animal testing on cosmetics.

Moving on. Next, I did a search on my biggest indulgence – Lancome. I’d been told that they were one of the biggest offenders, so surely there would be information on the web. There was. A lot. But it was conflicting. Some sites said they do animal test. Others said they do not. The official Lancome site had a statement that said that their products (confirm) are not tested on animals. There it was, straight from the source. They said they don’t animal test. And they could be sued for false advertising, right? So it must be true. That was enough proof for me. So convenient. We believe what we want to believe.

I continued in my little bubble of misinformed denial for as long as it was convenient. When I finally stopped traveling so much for work and had some time to reflect on my decisions, my attitude began to change.

Today my journey begins. I am on a mission to switch to non-animal tested (cruelty-free) cosmetics and toiletries. Because animals should not have to suffer for me to look pretty.

Although this is not a new initiative, it’s one that I am passionate about. Yes, yes, I know I’m late to the party. But I’m finally here, so that’s something. And I feel very naive because I’ve allowed myself to be misled by the offenders in the beauty industry.