Legendary drag queens Alaska Thunderf*ck and Heidi N Closet have teamed up with PETA for a striking ad campaign that celebrates beauty by advocating for cruelty-free cosmetics. This dynamic duo sends a powerful message: Beauty should be cruelty-free, fabulous, and a force for positive change.
Some U.S. companies agree to allow their cosmetics ingredients to be force-fed to mice, rabbits, rats, and fish in China and the European Union in order to sell them there—even though these tests don’t make the products safe for humans.
“There are actually, like, tons of brands that are completely, like, against hurting animals or testing on animals.”
—Alaska Thunderf*ck
Alaska also points out in the video that animal-derived ingredients are common in cosmetics and personal-care products. For example, it takes more than 70,000 crushed beetles to produce just 1 pound of the red pigment carmine (which is also called C.I. 75470, cochineal extract, crimson lake, and natural red 4).
Given the wealth of non-animal approaches available for producing cosmetics and assessing their safety, there’s no legitimate excuse for using animals as ingredients or test tubes. In the rare event that the safety of a product or ingredient couldn’t be demonstrated using non-animal methods, it simply shouldn’t be made or used. The life of every animal is immeasurably more important than a tube of lipstick or an eye shadow palette.
“Instead of testing on animals, I know a few queens they could test it on instead.”
—Heidi N Closet
Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, Talent, and Ethical Beauty
Cruelly produced cosmetics? Sorry, dear, you’re up for elimination. Shop with compassion, and only buy products from companies that don’t test on animals or use animal-derived ingredients. It’s easy—our Bunny Free app lets you search for companies by name and tells you whether they’re cruelty-free. You can also visit our searchable database.
Known for her popular business, extraordinary creativity, phenomenal makeup skills, and standout performance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Kim Chi pushes the boundaries of traditional beauty standards and inspires everyone to embrace their true self. Now the drag superstar has also teamed up with PETA, starring in a beautiful ad campaign that encourages people to unleash their inner fierceness without compromising their ethics, one fluttery lash at a time.
If you want to flutter those lashes with a clear conscience, ditch the mink lashes and go faux.
—Kim Chi
PETA’s undercover investigations have revealed that in order to cut costs, fur farmers pack animals into unbearably small cages, preventing them from taking more than a few steps in any direction and doing anything else that’s natural and important to them, such as running, swimming, making nests, or finding a mate. Many animals go insane under these conditions. The anguish and frustration of life in a cage lead many of them to self-mutilate, biting at their skin, tail, and feet; frantically pace and circle endlessly; and even cannibalize their cagemates.
After a lifetime of confinement, animals used for their fur are killed by electrocution, bludgeoning, gassing, or neck-breaking—and their skin may be torn off while they’re still alive. Whichever slaughter method is used, each of these living, feeling individuals is violently killed, skinned, and discarded, never having had a chance to enjoy life.
Sellers of fur false eyelashes slap misleading labels on their packaging, using terms such as “ethically sourced” or “free-range” to describe the products. Just like the bogus labels on meat, eggs, and dairy, these marketing buzzwords serve one purpose: to deceive consumers.
I’m all for being extra, but not at the cost of someone else’s life.
—Kim Chi
Ethical Beauty Is Always in Fashion!
Opting for faux lashes is the only way to be sure that no animals were exploited to make them. Kim Chi is an inspiration to us all, empowering people everywhere to be unapologetically fabulous while leaving a kinder, smaller footprint on the planet. Embrace compassion and slay your beauty routine by supporting brands that offer cruelty-free products. It’s one meaningful way for everyone to contribute to a more compassionate and ethical beauty industry.
Level up your lash game with faux-eyelash fierceness—check out Kim Chi’s PETA-certified cruelty-free lashes here, and urge Lily Lashes to drop fur immediately:
As we stand on the cusp of a new year, the promise of a fresh start invites us to reflect on the impact of our daily choices, not only on our own lives but also on those of our fellow animals. What better way to kick off 2024 than by committing to resolutions that extend our compassion to everyone? To help you with your goals, here are 24 easy New Year’s resolutions that are all about helping animals.
1. Go vegan: This one simple resolution will have the most impact because going vegan spares the lives of about 200 animals each year as well as being better for your health and the planet.
3. Engage in everyday activism by placing vegan starter kits and stickers in public spaces: Join PETA’s Action Team and you’ll receive a free activist starter kit with leaflets, posters, stickers, and other materials you can use to educate others in creative ways.
4. Join PETA’s text list to save animals without leaving home: When you sign up for PETA’s text list, you’ll receive updates on important campaigns and exciting victories, and you’ll be able to take action easily by responding with only a word or a letter.
5. Try a new vegan restaurant near you: HappyCow can help you find vegan restaurants to try in your area. If there aren’t any near you, order the vegan option at your favorite local spot or ask it to add one to the menu. It’s even better if you leave a positive review to help spread the word.
6. Support Black-owned vegan businesses: You can use your power as a consumer to support Black-owned vegan businesses, from beauty brands to restaurants.
7. Visit a reputable animal sanctuary: Learn how to identify a legitimate animal sanctuary, and visit one with your friends or family.
8. Spend more quality time with your animal companions: Whether it’s going for more walks or spending additional time playing, your dogs and cats are sure to appreciate more quality time with you.
9. Run the 2024 NYC Half marathon with the PETA Pack: If running a half marathon is already on your list of resolutions, why not raise money to help animals while you’re at it?
10. Volunteer at a local animal shelter: Chances are your local animal shelter could use some help, so spend time volunteering there this year.
11. Be more eco-friendly: Going vegan is already a great way to become more eco-friendly, and you can also reduce your impact on the planet by cutting down on single-use plastics and buying from more sustainable brands.
12. Read some inspiring books: Reading more is on most people’s list of resolutions. How about one of these books about animals?
13. Try a new vegan recipe every week: PETA offers tons of free vegan recipes. We have options for everything from breakfast to dessert. Whip one up and post about it on Instagram—and be sure to tag @peta.
14. Commit to buying only vegan clothing: Check the tags on the clothes you buy, and ditch anything made of wool, leather, silk, cashmere, and everything else obtained by harming animals.
15. Go cruelty-free: Buy only vegan cosmetics, personal-care items, and household products, which are never tested on animals. Search PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies database to find them.
16. Host a dinner party with vegan food: Connect with friends over a vegan meal to show them how delicious animal-friendly food is.
17. Follow vegan influencers: Vegan influencers are sharing recipes, new products, restaurant reviews, and animal activism tips on platforms from TikTok to Instagram. Follow them to make your feed more inspiring.
18. Recommend a vegan restaurant to a friend: Have a favorite vegan restaurant? Suggest it to a friend, or snap a photo of your meal and share it on social media—and be sure to tag the restaurant.
19. Travel with animals in mind: If you’re traveling this year, factor animals into your plans. You can stay at a vegan hotel, opt for accommodations that use down-free bedding, book a vegan food tour, and stay away from tourist attractions that exploit animals. And if you’re traveling with your animal companions, make sure you know how to keep them safe and happy in the air or on the road.
20. Try recipes from a new vegan cookbook: There are plenty of to choose from that can give you meal inspiration. Pick one to get started and try out the recipes that sound the most mouthwatering to you.
21. Send a free vegan starter kit to a friend: Have vegan-curious friends? Help them stick to their resolution to help animals by sending them a free vegan starter kit.
22. Attend a vegan food festival: Vegandale, a food fest with events in six cities; the weekly Vegan Exchange in North Hollywood, California; or SEED Food & Wine Week in Miami are just a few examples of the many vegan food festivals happening in 2024. Find one near you and bring a few friends for a day of tasty, animal-free fare.
23. Go through your closet and donate any old fur items: Did you know that PETA will take your donated fur items and give them to unhoused people or ship them to refugees in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria? Help bring warmth to those who need it.
24. Donate to help save lives: You can support PETA’s crucial work with just one click of a button. Our fieldworkers are out 365 days a year, providing animals in need with food, water, and shelter. Your support makes our work possible.
With help from PETA fieldworkers, a formerly penned and matted dog named Fluffy from North Carolina has found a new adoptive home.
Make 2024 a year to remember by sticking to these easy resolutions to help animals, improve your health, and heal the planet.
Eager to help your fellow animals? Each PETA action alert is a great way to accomplish this goal. Below, we reveal how we get things done when people like you take action using our innovative systems. Then, to celebrate, we share our top 10 victories by PETA supporters in 2023.
How to Quickly Take Action Online for Animals
PETA achieves many victories via our action alerts—simple and effective ways for people to get active online for animals. Urging companies, universities, legislators, government agencies, and others to stop exploiting animals is a key part of PETA’s most pressing campaigns, and completing action alerts is the quickest and easiest way for our supporters to contribute to this work.
Each year, nearly 1 million people target abusers and help animals who are suffering when used for experiments, food, fashion, or entertainment. Many of our supporters who complete our action alerts go on to share them with their friends, family members, and social media followers.
Take Action via Text Message: PETA’s Cutting-Edge Mobile ‘Reply Y’ Feature
We send texts to approximately 50,000 supporters each week, asking them to take action by replying “Y.” After they do, an e-mail is sent from them to an animal abuser. This innovative tactic only requires participants’ phone numbers and e-mail addresses, and it’s easily one of the fastest ways to help animals.
2023’s Top 10 PETA Action Alert Victories: Cheers to Our Supporters
Following a PETA campaign lasting over 17 months, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, which oversees the University of Tennessee College of Medicine (UTCOM), wrote to us announcing that UTCOM would stop using live animals in surgical and emergency medical residency training programs on its Chattanooga campus. Our supporters took more than 183,800actions on our alert to help achieve this victory for pigs in April.
We’re thrilled that UTCOM is doing right by pigs, physicians, and patients by ending these deadly drills that mutilated animals.
In early February, documents obtained by PETA showed that gruesome decompression experiments on sheep funded by the U.S. Navy—which had been awarded nearly $390,000 in taxpayer money—at the University of Wisconsin–Madison had been abruptly stopped up to two years ahead of schedule. This achievement was due in part to PETA supporters taking over 178,500actions to help spare these animals.
The sheep formerly slated for these tests were spared the agony of cardiovascular collapse, spinal cord injury, and paralysis. This victory prevented more sheep from being abused in painful experiments.
Pajar Canada—which manufactures and sells footwear and outerwear—confirmed to PETA in early November that it had banned fur. The exciting news came after pressure from us and over 177,400e-mails to the company from our supporters.
As a result of this campaign, Pajar Canada is no longer funding the cruel fur trade, which forces animals to live in cramped cages where they frantically pace and often languish with sores, bleeding eyes, or broken legs before being electrocuted, gassed, or poisoned. It joins hundreds of top companies and brands—including Canada Goose, Hudson’s Bay Company, Moncler, Moose Knuckles, RUDSAK, and MACKAGE—in banning fur, and we’re rallying the public to demand that LVMH follow suit.
Following pressure from PETA, Lily Tomlin, and our supporters, Ford Motor Company issued a statement banning all animal testing in mid-July. PETA supporters sent 175,000e-mails and took part in multiple call-ins before the automaker slammed the brakes on animal testing.
With this victory, Ford no longer funds useless crash testing that used animals as stand-ins for high-tech crash-test dummies.
Following over 134,500actions by PETA supporters—plus thousands of phone calls, social media posts, and personalized e-mail messages—the Apache Rattlesnake Festival in Oklahoma dropped a photo booth exhibitor who sewed live snakes’ mouths shut. This victory prevented snakes from being painfully maimed for a mere snapshot.
After more than 128,000actions from PETA and PETA Latino supporters, American Pistachio Growers stopped funding notorious Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey. As more and more companies cut ties with mushers and the race, the pressure is on the last remaining sponsors to follow suit.
We’re one step closer to ending the Iditarod. PETA’s list of companies that have severed ties with the cruel dog-sled race keeps growing.
With this kind decision for Clydesdales, the self-proclaimed “King of Beers” is back at the top of the heap. To those who took action for horses to help make this victory possible, we say, “Cheers!”
PETA had long urged UniverSoul to stop exploiting elephants, tigers, zebras, camels, horses, and other animals in its cruel live-animal acts. Before our supporters’ actions, shocking whistleblower reports of animal abuse emerged. We carefully planned countless protests at UniverSoul shows across the country, and celebrities like TLC’s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas spoke out against the abuse.
Following over 99,600actions by PETA supporters—and an assault on two nonviolent animal advocates—the Moolah Shrine, which had already ended the use of big cats and bears, announced that it was ending its use of elephants in its circus. The Moolah Shrine Circus in St. Louis was among the last remaining shows that still exploited wild animals who were confined to small crates or kept in shackles and deprived of any semblance of a natural life.
Tell other Shriners that their circus acts would be safer, more entertaining, and better off without forcing animals to perform confusing, painful tricks under the threat of violence.
In mid-February, after more than 94,600 PETA Latino and PETA supporters took action, Telefónica’s paid TV platform, Movistar Plus+, agreed to stop airing bullfights that showed the slaughter of nearly 600 bulls. Animal defenders sent thousands of e-mails to make this change possible, and more than 800 animal protection groups from around the world, including PETA, fired off a letter to Telefónica’s president urging him to reject any plans to air the ritualistic killing of bulls.
This move is in line with public sentiment around the world. Most people in Spain and Latin America are against bullfighting and don’t want the bloody events to be televised. By refusing to broadcast bullfights, Telefónica is showing respect for their opinion and promoting a message of compassion.
More Victories
We celebrated many other PETA victories in 2023 with the help of our supporters, including the following:
The National Hockey League pulled the plug on working with Gatorland for its All-Star Weekend.
In California, the Pasadena City Council voted unanimously to adopt a humane, nonlethal coyote-management plan—rejecting cruel, ineffective, and expensive lethal methods.
The Galesburg City Council in Illinois agreed to forgo a proposed goose massacre in favor of a humane, multipronged approach and to use such measures in the future.
After over 47,300 actions by PETA supporters, Cue Health made the compassionate decision to stop sponsoring the cruel Iditarod.
We hope you’ll read more about each of these victories and get even more engaged by taking action online, making phone calls, signing up for our texts, attending our demonstrations, and more.
Parents, beware: What you put in your kids’ cereal—or on their plate—could be a matter of life and death. A new study has identified cow’s milk as the leading culprit of food-related fatal allergic reactions in children under 16 in the U.K.
This finding comes from a study published in the British Medical Journal, which examined hospital admissions for food-induced anaphylaxis—a life-threatening allergic reaction—from 1998 to 2018. Over two decades, deaths from peanut or tree nut allergies decreased while fatalities linked to cow’s milk increased, accounting for 26% of food anaphylaxis-related deaths.
Even less severe allergies to cow-based milk and cheese can cause serious, sometimes long-term health issues for children. Cow’s milk is among the most common allergens for children and can lead to gastrointestinal, skin, and respiratory problems. According to a study published by a leading journal in children’s healthcare, a startling 47% of children allergic to cow’s milk have had at least one emergency room visit due to exposure.
Childhood food allergies are among the many other reasons to steer clear of dairy milk and cheese, which have been linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and heart disease.
The Cruelty of the Dairy Industry
The dairy industry tears calves away from their loving mothers often when they’re just a day old—an extremely traumatic experience for these emotional, sensitive animals. Mother cows are often heard frantically crying out for their young for several days after they’ve been separated. Dairy farms exploit female cows like they’re merely milk machines, subjecting them to abusive, grueling milking regimens that often lead to painful udder infections.
Ditch Milk and Cheese Made From Cows—Go Vegan!
Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do—to nourish their young. They don’t want to endure a lifetime of exploitation in the dairy industry. The best thing you can do for our fellow animals, your health, and the planet is to go vegan. Check out PETA’s ultimate guide to vegan milks and order our free vegan starter kit to make the compassionate switch today:
Photo: © Magnus Hastings
