On November 4, Cruelty Free International announced that Covergirl was awarded the Leaping Bunny Certification, certifying that Covergirl and all of its suppliers are cruelty free. Covergirl is the largest beauty brand to stop testing on animals.

In recent years, many companies have stopped testing their cosmetic products on animals in an effort to reduce animal cruelty. The United States doesn’t require cosmetic companies to test on animals so why do so many companies such as Avon, Mary Kay, and Maybelline do it?

China requires testing on animals before products are allowed to be shipped there. Unfortunately, there’s no way of getting around China’s regulations so that’s why many cosmetic companies have opted out of selling their products in China. This poses a problem to large companies because they are forced to choose between millions of dollars of profit loss or harmful tests on animals. Fortunately, many companies have chosen to stop testing on animals despite losing profit from China because of ethical reasons

Cruelty Free International’s CEO Michelle Thew explained how difficult it is to obtain and keep the Leaping Bunny Certification. “That is a rigorous process and they have to prove what they say,” she explains. In order to receive the Leaping Bunny Certification, companies must not test on animals during every part of the production of their products. This means the companies that supply their ingredients also can’t test on animals. It took months of observation for Covergirl to earn the Leaping Bunny Certification and they’ll be observed frequently to make sure they are keeping up with those standards.

Covergirl’s choice to go cruelty free is monumental for the beauty and cosmetic industry and hopefully it will push other large cosmetic companies to do the same.