This blog post is very personal for me and hopefully you will see why. When I decided to create YASOU, “ A Toast To Your Health” skin care line, the things I knew for sure were. . .
1) I wanted my skin care line to be cruelty-free
2) I wanted to only use natural or organic plant (vegan) or plant derived ingredients
3) I wanted to become Leaping Bunny certified
Also, the skin care line had to be Greek-inspired as an ode to my ancestry and its timeless devotion to aesthetics and health.
I am not a vegetarian but I am a work in progress in becoming one. I have always loved, respected and protected animals and the earth. I can honestly say that I have felt happiest and most comfortable when with animals or while being in nature.
As I do research for new, interesting ingredients I have come to realize that as exotic as a new ingredient or origin may sound, when you break it down – it is almost always about ingredients that contain vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, omega or protein just to name a few, that are known to be antioxidants or have benefits for collagen and hydration, etc.
Why test already safe products?
If you think about it there are many products on the market that are made using thousands of ingredients that have a long history of safe use. So why do we need to test on animals? The argument in 2017 may be to see if the ingredient is safe. I say “phooey.”
“Companies can ensure safety by choosing to create products using those ingredients. Companies also have the option of using existing non-animal tests or investing in and developing alternative non-animal tests for new ingredients. There are nearly 50 non-animal tests that have been validated for use, with many more in development.” Taken from an article from The Humane Society of The United States called “Fact Sheet: Cosmetic Testing”
Beauty consumers speak up
In this article on what Beauty Consumers Favor by Nielsen statistics show “when it comes to claims in the beauty aisle, consumers appear most invested in animal welfare, as “not tested on animals” was the most important packaging claim among those surveyed (57%), followed by SPF (sun protection factor) related claims (56%).” This article contains a lot of great info with statistics on what has become important to consumers.
If cruelty free products are important to you and you don’t know how to tell if a product is cruelty free, please check for a Leaping Bunny, cruelty-free or Not tested on animals bunny logo. To learn more see my previous post: What’s A Bunny On The Label Mean?
Please note that being a cruelty-free company doesn’t mean the ingredients do not contain animal or animal by-products in them. Only companies identified as vegan do not contain animal by-products in them. This is another conversation we can have soon.
I want you to also know that YASOU skin care is a sustainability-minded company. Our commitment to the natural environment extends beyond skin care. All of our packaging is environmentally friendly and recyclable. We take care to manage any waste in a sustainable way because we care and love our earth.
When you buy cruelty-free, plant-derived skin care products you are supporting the effort to build a humane, sustainable lifestyle that benefits all.
So good to know products I use are kind to the environment.
Thank you Adair!