A few weeks ago I received the “oral aesthetic product” Voxbox from Influenster, which turned out to be a Crest 3D White Whitestrips kit. I was immediately disappointed when I opened it, because I faced a dilemma: Crest is not a cruelty-free company, and I strive to only use cruelty-free products.
I decided to try the strips for a while, using the argument that I didn’t purchase the strips, so technically my money wasn’t going to the company. I even made a video on YouTube about my unboxing, since that was one of the optional tasks you could complete for the Influenster campaign. But all along I knew I was just kidding myself: the whole point of Influenster is to try out products and promote the ones you really like. I couldn’t promote Crest or these Whitestrips because I can’t support a brand that isn’t cruelty-free.
I’m not perfect–many will probably think that I never should have tried them in the first place. Maybe if I had known beforehand that the “oral aesthetic” product was from Crest I wouldn’t have even accepted the campaign to begin with (Influenster didn’t tell us what the product was ahead of time). But in the end, I realized that I personally would rather not complete the entire campaign. Originally I was motivated to give it a try because everyone who completes the optional Influenster tasks auto-qualifies for the Holiday Voxbox. I’d love to get that box, but it’s not worth it to me to pretend to promote a brand I can’t support.
What do you think? I’m curious to hear your thoughts about animal testing. Some people only buy from Leaping Bunny certified companies, others support cruelty-free brands that are owned by parent companies that test. Some people aren’t concerned with animal testing at all. None of these views are right or wrong! I fully respect everyone’s educated opinion. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section, but please refrain from badgering mine or anyone else’s views. I don’t want to turn this post into a mudslinging debate.
Thanks for reading!
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i think they should only do animal testing for crucial medical research
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Cruelty free vs. animal testing always tears me up, too. I avoid it as best as I can. I wish they'd just stop. =(
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That's probably the only instance where I'm somewhat okay with it, to cure diseases and the like.
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It's definitely more difficult to only buy cruelty-free products, especially when it comes to household cleaning products, etc. I wish that they could just outlaw it everywhere, too
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I had no idea they were't cruelty free. I'm not really knowledgeable about most products I use since I don't really do much research but if it's told to me then I try to stay away from the products. It's too bad because these white strips work awesome. I guess I'll be switching to something else now, thanks for the info!
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I've found that most mass-market and drugstore brands aren't cruelty-free because they're often owned by parent companies like Unilever and Johnson & Johnson. Leaping Bunny and PETA have really extensive lists of which companies do and don't test, though, which I've found to be really helpful. And I agree, it is a shame because they work quite well!
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I think the line animal testing and animal cruelty is fine, if not non-existent. Personally, I think of all testing as animal cruelty, which really forces me to weigh whether the product I use is really worth it.
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