Ultimately you cannot, because you have to place your faith in the manufacturer providing you with truthful information concerning their test methods. Some companies label their products "Not tested on animals" for marketing purposes, since some consumers prefer to purchase such products. Some companies will make the information available through other means (e.g., in response to a consumer's letter), while some may chose not to discuss the issue. All products are eventually tested on one animal: humans. Hopefully, humans will use these products in the manner in which they are intended and not apply lipstick to the eyes, for example. One also hopes that humans will not have too many adverse reactions. Traditionally, animal testing refers to tests that employ animals in place of humans to evaluate any possible reactions to a product, particularly where the products may be misused by accident or intentionally. For example, a test may involve irrigating an animal's eyes with a perfume to determine how badly they could be damaged if a consumer did the same. These are the kind of tests that most people object to, because they are deemed unnecessary. That said, if a product that is applied to the eyes by mistake can lead to blindness, it probably should not be marketed for safety reasons. Do you want to risk injury to yourself by using a product with unknown properties? How does one test for adverse reactions to a product, except through an actual test? We are not permitted to employ human subjects, so animals are substituted. One positive outcome of past testing is that there has been a wealth of information gathered, at the expense of the animals, that can now be used to avoid creating products that may cause harm when misused. However, the term 'animal testing' may exclude tests using commercial products applied in the same manner as intended for humans. The mind may boggle at the thought of a rat with a little perfume dabbed behind its ears to test for adverse skin reactions, but most would prefer the rat get the rash. The animals are not likely to be seriously harmed by such tests, since they receive the same exposure to the product that humans do, so these tests may not be labelled as 'animal testing'. In the end, does 'animal testing' include those tests that are not intended to find the limits at which harm to the animal occurs, unlike determining how much perfume is required to blind a rabbit or tobacco smoke to give a primate cancer? This leaves the consumer with few choices. The consumer can abstain from purchasing cosmetics, since they are a luxury and not an essential. However, your hair shampoo was probably tested in the eyes of an animal at some point, so completely avoiding animal testing is almost impossible. The consumer may chose to purchase products that are explicitly labelled "Not tested on animals" and then check to ensure that the company's concept of animal testing is the same as their own. If this issue is important to you, you do not have many other options.

The CSCA is a unified policy that makes it easier for consumers and companies to identify the products that meet ethical standards. http://www.leapingbunny.org These are a few cruelty free products. Skin Care Almay, Aubrey Organics, Avon, Basis, Bobbi Brown, Body Shop, Clinique, Estée Lauder, Jane, M.A.C., Origins, Revlon, Ultima II Fragrance Aramis, Avon, Bath & Body Works, Beautiful, Chanel, Charlie, Crabtree & Evelyn, Garden Botanika, Liz Claiborne, Tommy, Tommy Girl, Victoria’s Secret, White Linen Deodorant Almay, Avon, Lady Mitchum, Mitchum, Tom’s of Maine Soap Basis, Bath & Body Works, Body Shop, Garden Botanika, San Francisco Soap Company For more products that have not been tested on animals http://www.pandgkills.com/boycott/cruelty_free.html

This is a PeTA site. I do not agree with or support PeTA but I do think this is a very informative site that could help you make smart choices when buying cosmetics. I buy all the supplies (cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap, etc) that I can afford that are not tested on animals and do not contain animal products. http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp

Usually it says on the back of your product, If not go to ask.com and search " Is _______ tested on animals? " :) Love ya

Don't buy them second hand from a farm.

Here are lists of companies that do and don't test on animals/ contain animal products: http://www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp

shouldnt it say on the label?

Not all none tested products have it noted on the back! you need to always carry with you a list of the cruelty free companies when u go shopping. and by the way the lists you will find in the site called caringconsumer which was suggested by a poster here are not complete so check out the ones im posting here but bare in mind that no lists are ever complete there will always be companies missing from those lists. and don't forget those who market fur it's not only the animal testing that makes a product a cruel product. Click on the links bellow to find lists of companies that do or do not test on animals: Here you will find a list of cruelty free companies: http://pw2.netcom.com/~axleplus/stuff/hotstuff/compgood.html This one is a list of the bad companies http://pw2.netcom.com/~axleplus/stuff/hotstuff/company.html Concerning cigarettes all tobacco companies test on animals except ''American Spirit''

There is no 100% safe product, you are going on faith. The only way I can see, is not to wear cosmetics. Try using naturals items instead.

I heard Shiseido stopped tests on animals about 4 years ago. And neither Body Shop does. Check on those websites!