Many people have heard and/or seen the term "cruelty-free" used for products ranging from household cleaners to makeup, but you might not know whether products you use are cruelty-free or not.

An interesting fact that is not widely known is that no law requires animal testing for cosmetics and household products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires only that each ingredient in a cosmetics product be "adequately substantiated for safety" prior to marketing, or that the product carry a warning label indicating that its safety has not been determined.

Sadly, the standard for mass-marketed products is still of the cruel variety; pretty much any product you might find on a grocery or drug store shelf mass-marketed by a large company is probably tested on animals. Name your poison: Ban Roll On, Carpet Fresh, Vaseline, Pine-Sol, Huggies, Pantene, Cheer, Tide, any and all products made by Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson…the list depressingly goes on.

Because of consumer demand and the willingness of companies to change their packaging and marketing concepts to vie for our all-mighty dollar, some more "mainstream" products now state "cruelty-free" on them packaging. This can be more confusing than not, as some supposedly cruelty-free products have ingredients which have been tested on animals, and some supposedly natural product lines are subsidiaries of companies who do test.

So what is a caring, compassionate (but confused) consumer to do? Here are some suggestions and web sites that can help you go (or stay) "cruelty-free":

Do Your Research

Luckily for us (and the animals and the environment) there are many, many alternatives, and most of them are far easier to find than they were even just a few years ago, thanks in large part to consumer demand and the growing awareness that these barbaric animal tests are NOT necessary.

Read Labels

There is a difference between "no animal testing" and "no animal products." Most caring companies will include both statements on their bottles, but many mainstream companies hoping to hop on the bandwagon will slap on "no animal testing" while their products still contain slaughterhouse ingredients such as lanolin, cetyl alcohol or elastin. Animal ingredients are used not because they are better than vegetable-derived or synthetic ingredients but rather because they are generally cheaper. Today's slaughterhouses must dispose of the byproducts of the slaughter of billions of animals every year and have found an easy and profitable solution in selling them to food and cosmetics manufacturers.

Animal ingredients come from every industry that uses animals: meat, fur, wool, dairy, egg, and fishing, as well as industries such as horse racing and rodeos, which send unwanted animals to slaughter.

Many truly cruelty-free companies have chosen to help end some of the confusion by choosing to bear the International Logo (a bunny inside a circle with a slash) on their products. Companies have chosen to adopt this logo for their products in order to increase consumer awareness. They hope to educate people about the choice to support products and companies that commit to cruelty-free testing.

Make Contact

Contact companies and ask if they have chosen to endorse and sign the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals (CSCA), the strongest international standard for cruelty-free products. This standard is put forth by The American Anti-Vivisection Society, American Humane Association, Beauty Without Cruelty USA, Doris Day Animal League, The Humane Society of the United States, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Simplify Your Ingredient Demands

The fewer ingredients on a label, (usually) the better! Just as food is generally better without the addition of lots of preservatives and chemicals, so are household, baby and beauty products.

Carry A Guide

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) have handy-dandy pocket guides that can you can stash in a wallet, purse, etc. and are easy to whip out if you aren't sure of a product or ingredient.

Try Home Remedies

Old fashioned really can be the best! You honestly do not need a whole shelf full of various cleansing products-even cruelty-free ones. There are wonderful all-purpose cleaners out there, such as those made by Simple Green, Dr. Bronner's, Seventh Generation, which will clean everything from dirty floors to ovens to crayon stains to countertops. But you can also try things you surely already have in your fridge and cupboard: baking soda, vinegar, orange rinds (for freshening your garbage disposal), and of course, elbow grease. Think of the packaging you will save-good for the environment and your wallet!

Helpful Websites:

RedJellyFish.com-- This site is like a green shopping mall filled with links to thousands of merchants who have healthy, environmentally friendly products, none of which have been tested on animals, all available in one easy to use format and on one site.

PETA-online.org-- This all purpose web site has information on animal ingredients and testing, treatment of animals, lots of "issues" to get involved with or get information on, and a great kids site with kid-specific issues and ways they can get involved and be responsible and caring individuals.

aavs.org-- This organization provides education about the development of alternative methods to animal tests, education and advocacy, animal testing and ingredient lists.

seventhgen.com-- Catalog of environmental and cruelty-free products for home and body.

bodyshop.com-- This site includes a store locator, or you can order products online or by using their toll-free number. Lots of great pampering products as well as specific lines geared towards young kids, teenagers and men.