Could there be a squirrel lurking in your make-up bag?
While you may have ditched products tested on animals and wouldn’t dream about buying a fur coat, many of us are unwittingly contributing to the trade responsible for more than 100 million animal deaths each year.
Make-up brushes routinely contain animal hair or fur, commonly taken from squirrels, minks, Sabel camels
and goats.
Despite claims of being collected via hairbrushes and the process being “cruelty-free”, chances are these animals were raised on cramped farms and suffered terrifying deaths by gassing or anal electrocution.
In some horrific cases, the animals’ skin is ripped from their bodies while they are still alive.
Thankfully, cruelty-free alternatives are easy to come by and affordable. Look for brushes marketed as vegan or made from synthetic fibres – usually Taklon or nylon.
EcoTools, The Body Shop and Urban Decay are just some of the firms on a PETA-approved list.
Last year, high-end cosmetics company NARS joined nearly 90 other brands in banning the sale of badger-hair make-up brushes.
PETA Asia’s investigation into China’s badger-hair industry, commonly used to make bristles in shaving brushes, revealed how the animals are either bred on farms or captured from the wild using snares and other cruel methods.
They are confined to small cages, and then killed violently.
Also, be wary of firms that market brushes as “natural” as this term often means they are made from animal fur.
Fake eyelashes and extensions made from mink fur, which claim to be “ethically sourced”, suffer the same miserable lives as those reared to make coats, pom-poms and fur trims.
Fur farming has been banned across the UK since 2003, but it is still legal to import products containing pelts.
The Daily Mirror is campaigning alongside Humane Society International for a #FurFreeBritain and you can help us by adding your name to this petition.
Think before you shop to help consign fur products to the history books.
