As a Coronavirus mutation on mink fur farms leads to a mass cull, we investigate whether your mink eyelashes are really 'cruelty-free'

Mink fur has been in the news lately after fears that a COVID-19 mutation, being transferred from mink to humans in Denmark, could hamper the effectiveness of a future vaccine.

Consequently, prime minister Mette Frederiksen announced that all the country’s mink – up to 17 million – would have to be culled, including healthy animals.

As the news coming out of Denmark continues to shock the world, media group Moving Animals have revealed a report into which stores in the UK are still selling mink fur products, including blankets, jackets and shoes from Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Flannels.

But it's not just the big, extortionately expensive mink fur garments that still infiltrate our stores. Many retailers, including Lilly Lashes and Tatti Lashes, use mink fur in their false lashes because they report to be very fluffy, weightless and comfortable.

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By Annabelle Spranklen

"Shoppers will be horrified to learn that some of the UK’s household names are still profiting from the cruel and outdated fur industry by selling mink fur products," says Paul Healey of Moving Animals. "Now, Denmark’s discovery of a mutation of the Coronavirus on their mink fur farms should be the final wake up call for these brands and retailers to stop selling fur altogether."

While you may have noticed that most brands market mink lashes as being ‘cruelty-free’ on account of the hair being collected by brushing minks or by collecting fallen hair, Peta have explained how it's the conditions in which minks are kept that renders that claim implausible: 'Minks are confined to small, depressing, cramped wire cages in highly unsanitary conditions.’

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If fur is killing animals and faux-fur is killing the planet, what on earth should you do?

There are similar questions being asked in silk and leather industries.

As Mandy Carter explains on Dodo.com, minks are always kept in these quarters because they are ‘aggressive, solitary animals,’ meaning that those ‘free-range’ claims are probably BS. Furthermore, studies have shown that minks actually display signs of distress – known as stereotypies – when kept in captivity.

In fact, according to a report by the International Humane Society, 85% of the fur on the market is produced by intensively farming animals in cramped battery-cages, denying them the chance to display their natural instincts. More than 100 million animals suffer and die at the hands of the fur trade each year, including fox, chinchilla, raccoon dogs, rabbits, and mink. They are usually killed by gassing or electrocution.

Our verdict? Steer clear and opt for truly cruelty-free lashes by having synthetic ones applied, instead.

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