Are all false eyelashes cruelty-free?

Fantastic progress has been made over the last few decades in eliminating animal cruelty from the production chain of cosmetics, but what about lashes? What does cruelty-free actually mean and which companies earn the right to use this label?

As a brand which prides itself on ensuring our products are good to you and the environment 🍃, we thought it was time we tackled this question head on.

Where does ‘cruelty-free’ come from?

Cruelty-free is a label used by the organisation ‘PETA,’ which stands for ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.’ They use this label to refer to companies who have made a sworn promise not to test any of their products on animals, covering all parts of their supply chain. When you see this label, you can have confidence that no animals were harmed in order to make your products.

Are all beauty companies cruelty-free?

Sadly not. If you want to be certain that the products you are buying have not been tested on animals, PETA holds a list of all of the companies around the world who have made this commitment. If you visit their website, we’re proud to say that you’ll find our name on their list. 😀

What about lashes?

The cruelty-free movement is something that you will see a lot in cosmetics, since the bulk of product testing is carried out by cosmetics companies. But it’s just as important when it comes to lash brands too.

For false lashes you want to check two things:

1) That the company doesn’t test its products on animals (cruelty-free)

2) That the false lashes themselves aren’t made from animals (fur-free)

That second question is particularly important, since historically many lash brands (not us!) used mink or sable fur to make their false lashes. This meant killing the animals for their fur, often in ways which were particularly cruel.

Some brands have stopped using animal fur after pressure from organisations like PETA, but whenever you’re shopping always try to check the description which accompanies the false lash – this will tell you what the lashes are made of and whether the process is cruelty-free.

Don’t be fooled

Some companies use crafty language to try to confuse you. Luckily, PETA has some great advice: “Beware of claims such as “this product is not tested on animals”, which can hide the fact that its ingredients are tested on animals, and “this company does not test on animals”, which may simply mean the company contracts out its testing to other companies.”

Is Silly George cruelty-free?

Yes! We are both cruelty-free and fur-free. That means we don’t test any of our products on animals (yay!) and our lashes themselves are not made from any animal materials. In fact, our lashes are made from synthetic silk, a gloriously lightweight material that looks natural and feels great.

Don’t just take our word for it – try it for yourself!