A Guide To Cruelty Free Beauty By Made In Chelsea’s Verity Bowditch

Made In Chelsea's Verity Bowditchis a huge advocate for cruelty free beauty. She might be best known for taking to London's Chelsea hotspots (outside of lockdown at least) in the much-loved reality TV series, but Verity's Instagram grid is also peppered with countryside scenes, seascapes and animals. Whether she's cuddling up to family dog Bijou, saying hello to the sheep her mother rescued (Alan, we're looking at you) or laughing at a nosey horse that has made a point of interrupting her pilates how-tos, it's clear that animals play a huge role in her life, and that extends into how Verity shops for beauty. If a beauty product isn't cruelty free, it's a no-go, so who better to talk us through shopping cruelty free beauty products?

Verity grew up (and spent the majority of lockdown 1.0) in the countryside and puts her empathy for animals down to growing up around a whole host of them. 'Having been brought up in the countryside I’ve always been surrounded by all sorts of animals - everything from goats to donkeys to pet sheep. We always seemed to have a new animal that my mum would bring back that needed a home. Spending so much time with these animals meant I formed strong bonds with all of them and understand how intelligent they are. Any mistreatment of animals had always confused me. I knew animals felt pain just like us so shouldn’t be abused.'

It was during her studies that Verity first became aware of animal testing. 'At university I studied Biomedical science so learnt a lot of biochemistry including that involved in the production of beauty products. This insight into the industry really opened my eyes to how animals are tested on and it broke my heart. I couldn’t believe how ignorant I had been and realised that most of what was in my make-up bag at the time was not cruelty free. Even to this day I’m surprised how many brands aren’t cruelty free'.

How To Know Whether A Beauty Product Is Cruelty Free

Verity knows what to check for when it comes to buying into beauty. 'Always check for the "leaping bunny" logo and that might sometimes have cruelty-free written under it too. This assures no animal testing has occurred in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or ingredient suppliers. If a company says they are cruelty-free but don’t have the bunny, at some point along product development animal testing may have occurred. So be careful! If you’re unsure, the Instagram page @creultyfreekitty lists all the companies who aren’t certified as cruelty free. It's a great page to follow.'

Are there any brands she can always rely on? 'You know you’re in safe hands with The Body Shop! As a brand they have great ethical and sustainable values. As well Charlotte Tilbury and Urban Decay. I recently fell in love with Tropic Skincare too, they have great ethics and values. I think it’s also important to support smaller brands like Dermaworks and Hello Body.'

There Is More Change To Come

For Verity, there is a lot of work still to do. 'I’m always keen to see the industry adapt and become more ethical. It’s come along way over the past 5 years with a lot of brands changing to becoming cruelty free, which I think is amazing! I think the bigger brands should be leading by example but are usually stuck in their ways so less likely to convert to being vegan or cruelty free. The more consumers that are educated, learning and therefore concerned about the wellbeing of animals, the more likely it is that our way of thinking and buying will trigger more dynamic change in the industry for the better.'

News Flash: Garnier Is Now Officially Certified By Cruelty Free International Under The Leaping Bunny Programme

Garnier announced last month that the brand is officially certified by Cruelty Free International under the Leaping Bunny programme. That means that you can invest in every Garnier product worldwide safe in the knowledge that you're purchasing a cruelty free item. Garnier is among the biggest brands that Cruelty Free International has ever certified and a lot of research as gone into that stamp of approval, 18 months worth of forensic investigation of over 500 suppliers sourcing 3,000 raw ingredients to ensure the certification to be exact. This is big. It's this sort of transparency from big beauty brands that we're keen to see more of. You go Garnier.

Shop: Verity's Favourite Cruelty-Free Beauty Buys

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