fUDE

Every wonder how they make luxury Fude make up brushes?

Unfortunately it is hard to garner facts on how the hair is procured. So I contacted Chikohudo and got some answers.

As you will know, Japanense make up brush brands such as Chikohodu are made from Squirrel, Goat and Fox hair.

Youtube Beauty influencers such as Alicia Archer and Michele Wang, have told audiences in previous Fude themed videos that they are ‘combed off the squirrel’ and the squirrels are never harmed.

This is very false information.

Japanese and Chinese brushes are all made from animals that were killed for industry.

Chikuhodo confirm that the animals were originally killed for luxury clothing or meat, and then parts of the animal were re-sold to Chikuhodo to produce the make up brushes.

Have a look below for an outline of the information I received from Chikuhodo directly about how they obtain the various hair types.

As confirmed by Chikuhodo employee via email.

Squirrel Hair

The brushes are made from by-products from luxury clothing. The wild squirrels are hunted and killed specifically for their fur to make clothes, and then the tail part is then used for the brushes.

Goat Hair

By products from meat. The goat was farmed and killed for food products.

Fox Hair

Farmed and killed specifically for their fur for “mainly” luxury clothing.

Cruelty Free Status?

The cruelty free statement from the company is misleading and false. Because they are by products of luxury clothing fur hunting, it is technically cruelty free because they were not killed for the brushes directly.

It is definitively a cruel industry and not vegan.

Unlike Hakuhodo, who ‘claim’ that some of their squirrel hair is a by product of pest control, Chikuhodo hair is obtained from squirrels that were hunted/killed for luxury clothing purposes.

It appears to be an ecosystem of by product industries that all profit off one another.

Chikuhodo Fox hair (FO series) is harvested from a fur farm in Japan, where foxes were bred/killed for their fur, also for luxury clothing. And Chikuhodo goat hair is obtained the same as Hakuhodo, i.e via meat by-products.

I can’t tell anyone how to feel about this, or which one is worse — — if at all. I personally do not feel comfortable buying and gushing about a brush, now that I know it was killed for the purpose of making a coat feel a tad bit more soft/silky.

I’m very grateful to the Chikuhodo representative who provided me a fast and detailed answer, and encourage you to contact your favourite brands- including Sonia G (I’m very curious next time she has another squirrel hair release like her original Pencil One), Koyudo, Bisyodo, Houkodou, Eihodo, Wayne Goss, so that you can make informed choices on the instances you choose to support the fur trade.