By Louisa Moss, PRO, Vegetarian Society of Ireland
Louisa: Hi Jo thanks for talking to us today, we’ve just been looking at your website, and it’s great to see an Irish based cruelty free cosmetic stockist. Welcome to the Vegetarian Society of Ireland. Could you tell us a little bit about your journey here? (i.e Did you become vegetarian/vegan first? Why? When did you begin looking for cruelty free cosmetics? When and why did you start the business?)
Jo: Hi Louisa. You’re very welcome and thank you too for speaking with me today. Basically I’ve been a vegetarian since I was fourteen and for the last few years I set up three Facebook pages; Fans of Animal Welfare, Living off the Earth and No to Testing on Animals. I set these up to teach people about how we can live without cruelty in our lives and how we can live in harmony with the earth and animals. The idea to set up my business Cruelty Free Cosmetics came to me in November 2014 where I felt the need to allow people to be able to buy cruelty free cosmetics easily, while also teaching them about the unnecessary horrors that animals have to endure in laboratories all over the world on a daily basis. For me it was always a challenge to buy cruelty free as I would always ask myself the question ‘how do I know’? Also, as I live in the country, buying cruelty free is near impossible. The makeup I had used, which used to state ‘not tested on animals’ on their display, didn’t have that for many years. So this was also the start of my journey to find out why and to find out were they or weren’t they testing their products on animals? After much research I found out that this particular company themselves did not test on animals, but they sell to China and therefore because of China’s laws, the makeup was eventually being tested on animals. Unfortunately the lure of a billion dollar industry in China is too much for a lot of companies to turn down and money tends to lead their heads.
For me it is all about being ethical and being able to sell products that I know are 100% not tested on animals and are vegan too. t was also very important that I could provide makeup that was eco-friendly so the packaging is recycled, biodegradable and recyclable. Also, refills are available on the loose foundations minimising landfill and I am also proud to say that there is no palm oil in any of the cosmetics.
Louisa: And you noticed how difficult it was to get information, let alone products that are truly cruelty free so you decided to bring the products to the people, that’s brilliant and much needed in Ireland.
When you select products and stock, must all of the parent company’s products be cruelty free? Are your products all suitable for vegetarians and vegans?
Jo: It took me a long time to find companies that tick all the boxes. Firstly the owner had to be like minded to myself and very much into animals and the earth. They also had to be on PETA’s Cruelty Free list and have purchased the use of their logo. That for me was important because it meant the company was taking this very serious. All the companies I deal with are small with no parent companies and they all only stock vegan makeup, which is 100% not tested on animals. They are also all very much into living in harmony with the earth and animals too. I really believe that by all of us working together to create change, that we will bring cruelty free to the next level. Our motto here at Cruelty Free Cosmetics is ‘One By One’. We believe that every one person can make a huge difference to one animal’s life and more. We try to teach people to believe in themselves and never to think ‘but I’m only one person, what can I do’? Every one person has the potential to create HUGE positive change.
Louisa: And I believe you have a voucher for one lucky reader today?
Jo: Yes I do, we’re offering a €50.00 coupon to use in our online shop www.crueltyfreecosmetics.net
And the competition question is ‘what animal is used on the cruelty free logo?’
Please send your answers to info@vegetarian.ie
Thanks Jo, great to talk with you today.’
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Louisa
