When I was growing up, all you could do with a telephone was make and receive calls. Today you can send text messages, check your email, surf the internet, and get where you’re going with GPS. And, of course, all those apps!
I’ve posted before about logos to look for when shopping for cruelty-free products. Now there are a variety of mobile apps that can assist you in shopping cruelty-free. I’m no techno-wiz, so you can believe me when I say that these three apps are easy to use and worth checking out.
CRUELTY-FREE
Since 1996, the Leaping Bunny Program, operated by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics in the US and Canada, has been connecting compassionate consumers to cruelty-free companies under its Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals. They have introduced the Cruelty-Free app, which is available for FREE for both Android and iPhone. The app lists over 200 U.S. and Canadian companies that are certified under the Leaping Bunny Program. You can also use the search bar at the top and type in a brand name. Another list on the app tells you where you can find cruelty-free brands within a product’s category like soap, eye makeup, tanning products, and more. Users can also scan a product’s barcode to instantly know whether the brand is certified by Leaping Bunny.
BUNNY FREE
The Bunny Free app uses data from PETA’s cruelty-free shopping guide and allows users to check to see if a company is cruelty-free by typing the company’s name in the search box, scanning a product’s barcode, or browsing an alphabetically ordered brand list. Bunny Free will also tell you which brands are NOT cruelty-free and should be avoided. There’s also a filter option to only show companies that are vegan! The app is FREE and available for both Android and iPhone. One drawback: The app doesn’t let you browse by product category. I’m hoping they add that very convenient feature soon.
CRUELTY-CUTTER
The Cruelty-Cutter app was developed by the Beagle Freedom Project, a non-profit organization engaged in rescuing animals used in experimental research. Users can scan a product, search by a company’s name, and search by product category. As a bonus, each company’s information is provided along with direct links to their website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. This app will keep a log of all the products you’ve scanned in your personal “History” section and allows the user to create a list of “Favorites.” Cruelty-Cutter is not free, however, but can be downloaded for a donation of $2.99 to the Beagle Freedom Project. The app is available for both iPhone and Android users.
So, here you have three convenient tools to help you shop cruelty-free. Remember that what you buy does make a difference.
Peace for ALL the animals with whom we share this planet!