How I Got Into Cruelty-Free Beauty and Why I Prioritize It
BY RYAN JONES
November 9, 2022
Before grade 12, 17-year-old Ryan had no idea what cruelty-free or clean beauty meant. I was utterly unaware of product ingredients and how harmful “normal” beauty products could actually be to people’s health.
So, how did I come to the realization?
It all started in a Social Justice class in grade 12. As an end-of-year assignment, we had to write an essay on one social justice issue that mattered to us. So, I chose animal cruelty. I almost puked writing that paper and get the same feeling thinking about it now. I almost cried writing that paper and I still get tears in my eyes thinking about the research I stumbled across today.
While I focused on puppy mills (which is an entire topic in itself), I also focused on animal testing. I remember seeing pictures of harmed bunnies with yellow fur and reddened skin.
It’s disgusting. There’s no way around that.
An even more disgusting statistic is that more than 110 million animals die per year due to cosmetic testing.
I remember going home and checking the labels of all of my beauty products (hair and skin). Whatever didn’t have a Leaping Bunny on it or whatever didn’t say “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” I tossed. Don’t do this. Replacing these products right away in one lump can be costly. But it’s good to be mindful of the labels and ingredients and slowly transition out our current collections to something much healthier and cleaner.
To be blunt, North America is atrocious when it comes to regulating ingredients in skincare and hair care products. The UK bans 1,300 cosmetic ingredients due to the potential of being harmful, meanwhile, the U.S. only bans 11.
11.
Let that sink in. Think of what you could potentially be exposed to. Canada is no better, with only banning 573 ingredients.
Of course, there are companies that push past the status quo and use wholly clean ingredients in their products. Meanwhile, there are brands that have potential carcinogens in their products.
No one should take this risk on their health.
And this is why I prioritize using clean, cruelty-free products.
I refuse to support companies that test on animals. I refuse to support companies that can have potentially harmful ingredients in their products.
I choose cleaner ingredients. I choose gluten-free options. I choose cruelty-free options. I choose sustainability. I choose a better me and better health.
That’s why I prioritize cruelty-free beauty.
So, how did I come to the realization?
It all started in a Social Justice class in grade 12. As an end-of-year assignment, we had to write an essay on one social justice issue that mattered to us. So, I chose animal cruelty. I almost puked writing that paper and get the same feeling thinking about it now. I almost cried writing that paper and I still get tears in my eyes thinking about the research I stumbled across today.
While I focused on puppy mills (which is an entire topic in itself), I also focused on animal testing. I remember seeing pictures of harmed bunnies with yellow fur and reddened skin.
It’s disgusting. There’s no way around that.
An even more disgusting statistic is that more than 110 million animals die per year due to cosmetic testing.
I remember going home and checking the labels of all of my beauty products (hair and skin). Whatever didn’t have a Leaping Bunny on it or whatever didn’t say “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” I tossed. Don’t do this. Replacing these products right away in one lump can be costly. But it’s good to be mindful of the labels and ingredients and slowly transition out our current collections to something much healthier and cleaner.
To be blunt, North America is atrocious when it comes to regulating ingredients in skincare and hair care products. The UK bans 1,300 cosmetic ingredients due to the potential of being harmful, meanwhile, the U.S. only bans 11.
11.
Let that sink in. Think of what you could potentially be exposed to. Canada is no better, with only banning 573 ingredients.
Of course, there are companies that push past the status quo and use wholly clean ingredients in their products. Meanwhile, there are brands that have potential carcinogens in their products.
No one should take this risk on their health.
And this is why I prioritize using clean, cruelty-free products.
I refuse to support companies that test on animals. I refuse to support companies that can have potentially harmful ingredients in their products.
I choose cleaner ingredients. I choose gluten-free options. I choose cruelty-free options. I choose sustainability. I choose a better me and better health.
That’s why I prioritize cruelty-free beauty.
Struggling With Chronic Pain Without a Diagnosis is Like Wandering Through Fog
By Ryan Jones
January 10, 2022
Sigh.
I write this during a night where pain is ravaging up my right leg. Why? I don't know. I want to know, but I worry I'll never seek closure for the pain my body is enduring.
Sigh.
It's frustrating, and sighing is my go-to response when people ask me how I'm feeling, how my pain is, because I have no words.
"I'm fine."
But I'm not. Those words are empty and I'm putting on a tough face. I just want to know what's going on in my body.
If you don't know, I've been suffering from chronic pelvic pain since 2019. This in itself is a blog post for another day, but over the years into 2022, it has developed into leg and back pain. The flare-ups come without warning, and my period is especially painful to the point pain medication doesn't work.
At the beginning of 2021, I noticed a shift in my energy levels. They dwindled, but I thought that was just a part of being a tired adult. Then, at the end of the year, for the last three months, fatigue has dragged me down so far that it feels like I have bricks filling my limbs.
So, a full workup I get and anxiously wait for the results after. But what if nothing is found, and I'm left here again, awake, with another flare-up?
I just want answers. For me and my body.
I write this during a night where pain is ravaging up my right leg. Why? I don't know. I want to know, but I worry I'll never seek closure for the pain my body is enduring.
Sigh.
It's frustrating, and sighing is my go-to response when people ask me how I'm feeling, how my pain is, because I have no words.
"I'm fine."
But I'm not. Those words are empty and I'm putting on a tough face. I just want to know what's going on in my body.
If you don't know, I've been suffering from chronic pelvic pain since 2019. This in itself is a blog post for another day, but over the years into 2022, it has developed into leg and back pain. The flare-ups come without warning, and my period is especially painful to the point pain medication doesn't work.
At the beginning of 2021, I noticed a shift in my energy levels. They dwindled, but I thought that was just a part of being a tired adult. Then, at the end of the year, for the last three months, fatigue has dragged me down so far that it feels like I have bricks filling my limbs.
So, a full workup I get and anxiously wait for the results after. But what if nothing is found, and I'm left here again, awake, with another flare-up?
I just want answers. For me and my body.
NEW YEAR, SAME ME... BUT BETTER
By Ryan Jones
January 6, 2022
It's a new year, and there's this usual impending pressure to make a commitment to do more, to be better. But if you let yourself be? Really be. Exist, without the pressure of striving for more. Maybe, if we simply live, we'll grow in ways we wouldn't have imagined.
You may not realize it, but making resolutions can put a lot of pressure on yourself. I'm not saying don't make them. If that's your cup of tea, then sip away. I'm simply saying don't hold yourself to an expectation. Don't raise the bar 10 levels high only to punish yourself if you can't reach it.
It's okay. It's okay if you can't. It's okay if you stay right where you are, exactly as you are.
Also, instead of raising the bar, what if we lowered it? Are there things you want to do less of this year to improve yourself and make the most out of life?
For myself, I want to rest more, and with that comes less worrying, less stressing, less over exerting myself. I feel that if we focus on less and cut out the things that don't lift us up, we just might become exactly who we need to be, without doing more.
What do you think?
You may not realize it, but making resolutions can put a lot of pressure on yourself. I'm not saying don't make them. If that's your cup of tea, then sip away. I'm simply saying don't hold yourself to an expectation. Don't raise the bar 10 levels high only to punish yourself if you can't reach it.
It's okay. It's okay if you can't. It's okay if you stay right where you are, exactly as you are.
Also, instead of raising the bar, what if we lowered it? Are there things you want to do less of this year to improve yourself and make the most out of life?
For myself, I want to rest more, and with that comes less worrying, less stressing, less over exerting myself. I feel that if we focus on less and cut out the things that don't lift us up, we just might become exactly who we need to be, without doing more.
What do you think?