Australian women are prioritising ‘cruelty-free’ over other characteristics when buying cosmetics, according to a study carried out by Roy Morgan and reported by Finder.  

The survey revealed that ‘not tested on animals’ was more important to shoppers than SPF rating and has become the third most influential feature when making a purchasing decision, after value for money and a ‘natural’ look.

Some 46 percent of Australian women who use cosmetics stated that cruelty-free was key, up from 41 percent in 2012.

The Australian government is due to usher in a total ban on the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals in July of this year. The ban is set to benefit existing cruelty-free brands, such as Nude for Nature, the only cruelty-free brand among Australia’s top 10 best-sellers.

“Given this growing preference for cruelty-free products, the pending ban on personal products that are tested on animals (or contain ingredients that are animal-tested) couldn’t be better timed. Brands that already fulfil these conditions stand to benefit immediately from the new law. Others may need to overcome lingering associations with animal testing so as to thrive in this evolving market and attract customers who may have avoided them for this reason in the past,” Norman Morris, Communications Director at Roy Morgan told Finder.