We talk a lot about reading labels here at That's Fit, like how whole wheat bread isn't always whole wheat, and "natural" and "organic" can mean several things. However, more than just your food is labeled -- so are your cosmetics.

In honor of Earth Day this past Tuesday, I wanted to tell you a bit about how you can find cosmetics and beauty products that are truly cruelty-free. After all, causing pain for an animal just isn't pretty.

Companies use several different types of wording to make the extent of their animal testing ambiguous. For example, if the label says Final product not tested on animals, that means that while that particular lip gloss might not have been put on an animal, the ingredients going into it might have. Or, if it says This brand does not test on animals, it could mean that a supplier or lab that brand works with tests on animals.


Also, even when a label states that the product contains no animal products, you should read the ingredient list -- many companies refuse to acknowledge items like lanolin and honey as animal products and label their products as animal product-free even though they're not.

Peta's Caring Consumer guide has extremely comprehensive lists of companies that do and don't test on animals. If you're having trouble deciphering a product's label, this is a great place to start your research. The amount effort you put into buying and using cruelty-free products is entirely up to you. Each step you take is helpful, but the way to make the biggest impact is to boycott all products made by companies that participate in animal testing.

What cruelty free products do you use? Have you been surprised to find that a certain product was (or wasn't) cruelty-free?