If you were anything like me, you spent the majority of the 90’s on your inflatable furniture watching the ups and downs of Kelly Kapowski and Zack Morris, taking the occasional break to go eat some Gushers or tend to your Tamagotchi. Oregon Trail, My So Called Life, and see-through land line phones also come to mind. And what about the beauty products we used? (Who can forget the simpler days of “Sun In,” long before we became resigned to our $100 trips to the salon?) Are any of these magical products still around? If so… Are ANY of them cruelty-free or vegan? Let’s see, shall we:
[gdlr_divider type=”solid” size=”50%” color=”#303030″ ]
Lip Smackers! Did anyone else wear these on a string as a necklace?! Fortunately, these guys are made by longtime cruelty-free (meaning no animal testing!) company Bonne Bell. If you avoid beeswax, though, these are not for you.
Mane ‘N Tail! I remember reading in my YM magazine about how I could use this stuff on my horse AND me. I didn’t have a horse, but that didn’t deter me a bit. As an adult, and before I went vegan/cruelty-free, I used and loved the deep moisturizing shampoos and conditioners and loved how shiny they made my hair look, AND how they were super super affordable at the grocery store. I recently called Mane ‘N Tail’s customer service number to inquire about their policy on animal testing, and to find out which of their products were free of any animal-derived ingredients. FYI, they put it in writing for me that they do NOT test on animals under any circumstances, and these are their vegan offerings: Deep Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner; Gentle Clarifying Shampoo; Daily Control Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and 2-in-1. I’ll take it!
Victoria’s Secret “Lovespell”! To be honest, I reeked of this well into my sophomore year of college. Boys seemed to LOVE its overly-sweet smell, and it came with me to every kegger. While this product is still available, Victoria does indeed have a very dirty secret: despite her claims otherwise, her products are tested on animals. Bye!
Stila Lip Glaze! Welp, I had these in just about every color (along with Juicy Tubes… remember those?) I can still hear the “click click click” as I dispensed the color onto my lips, and I can still feel the annoyance of having my hair get stuck to my face should there be a gust of wind… Those were the best of times. I am so sad to say, though, that Stila has only recently changed their animal-testing policy– and not for the better– in order to retail in China. (It is mandated by Chinese government that companies conduct cruel animal testing before they allow their products on the shelves.)
Urban Decay Sparkling Lickable Body Powder! Ok, so… Can we just take a moment to really soak in the NAME of this product? Hi-larious. I guess this was supposed to be sexy. Not sure how hygienic the whole concept is– especially if you’re like me and decided to directly lick the puff– but, hey, I’m not here to judge: if you still crave this product, you can find it on ebay, and it is in fact cruelty-free and vegan. Go nuts!
Herbal Essences Shampoo! What can we even say? Anyone who was anyone used Herbal Essences. What was the point of even having hair if it didn’t smell like a rose garden on steroids? And those sexual commercials, though! Here is the skinny on HE: although it is advertised as NOT being tested on animals, it is a product owned by Clairol, who DOES make other products which are animal tested. Looks like I won’t be ooh’ing and ahhh’ing in the shower again any time soon.
Sun In! Pros: This product is cruelty-free and vegan. Cons: there is a 97-100% chance that you will end up with insanely patchy, bright orange hair. I will never forget the time my mother picked me up from summer camp after I had borrowed half a bottle of my friend’s Sun In– her expression was a strange mixture of confusion and horror as I hung my blotchy neon head in shame.