Every morning I use somewhere around 15 different beauty products. This includes everything from shampoo and deodorant to my foundation and eyeliner. As of right now, about half of these products are cruelty-free and I plan on making the switch with the other half in the coming months. This conscious transition to living a cruelty-free lifestyle has been both invigorating and enlightening. I encourage everyone to consider making this change too.

It all started when a classmate of mine gave a presentation on why she chooses to use cruelty-free makeup. This sparked my interest so I decided to do some research of my own. I learned that animal testing procedures include everything from forced feeding and inhalation to the intentional infliction of burns on the animals. Some studies have even found that up to 87% of animal testing experiments are flawed, resulting in the inhumane murder of these animals. Many companies use what is called the Draize Eye Test to analyze irritation caused by shampoos and other products that may come into contact with consumers' eyes. This test involves animals like rabbits being physically restrained as their eyelids are held open with clips to prevent them from blinking for days at a time.

Another commonly used test is the Lethal Dose 50. This test involves finding out how high of a dose of a chemical will kill 50% of the animals in the test group. In this kind of experiment, the animals' sole purpose is to die when exposed to high levels of harsh chemicals. In 2010, the USDA reported that over 97,000 animals suffer an excruciating amount of pain during these tests and are given no anesthesia for relief.

At the end of the day, none of these testing procedures are necessary. The Humane Society International has referred to animal testing as "time--and resource--intensive, restrictive in the number of substances that can be tested, provide little understanding of how chemicals behave in the body, and in many cases do not correctly predict real-world human reactions." The United States currently has no laws requiring companies to test their products on animals. In fact, animal testing is banned in the European Union, Israel, India, Norway, Switzerland, South Korea, and New Zealand. Alternative options to animal testing include in vitro testing on substances that much closely resemble human skin which often yield more relevant results. In addition to this, over 7,000 cosmetic ingredients have already been deemed safe for consumer use and do not require further testing to be added to products.

One of my greatest resources in the transition to cruelty free products was the beauty blog Cruelty-Free Kitty. This blog is up to date with a complete list of cruelty free brands and products and frequently features product reviews to guide you through your search. This blog also serves as a watch dog for brands who claim to be cruelty free but don't comply with all of the guidelines. Whether you're looking to learn more about what it means to fight animal testing or you want to find out how many of the products you're using today are cruelty free, I highly recommend checking out Cruelty-Free Kitty.

One of the thing that I was most surprised to learn about animal testing is how many brands actively choose not to participate in these practices. Companies like Colourpop, E.L.F., Hard Candy, Kat Von D, NARS, and TARTE are all confirmed as cruelty free. For a complete list of cruelty free brands, check out Cruelty-Free Kitty's blog.

As a consumer, you show your support for companies and their practice by deciding where to spend your money. If you're like me, and you want to end animal testing practices, next time you go shopping for beauty products, check to see if what you're buying is cruelty free. If we are truly going to stop animal testing, we need to hit these companies where it hurts the most--their wallets.