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| How do we know if these products are cruelty free? |
I made the decision to try and use as many products that are cruelty free as possible some years ago
(see Animal Testing: Let's Choose Cruelty Free Products.),
and I have been trying my level best to use cruelty free skincare and
cosmetics. But this endeavour is proving to be an uphill task as
companies are constantly changing their policies on animal testing or
are being purchased by companies that do test on animals!
I am quite disappointed to learn that recently, a number of
skincare/cosmetic companies that used to be Cruelty Free are no longer
listed under
PETA's list of companies that DO NOT test on animals.
The reason for this is that these companies have chosen to market their
products in China whereby animal testing is a requirement by law!
So, some of my favourite brands are now listed on
PETA's list of companies that DO TEST on animals. These include Bobbi Brown, Clinique and L'Occitane.
This effectively means that I have had to make changes to brands that I
can use. So I have been shopping around for "new" brands that do not
test on animals, but as in the past, this is more difficult than it
should be. The main reason still lies in the fact that most of the sales
personnel selling the cosmetics are not actually aware of animal
testing and what it means.
Whenever I ask, if they test on animals, most of the time I still get a
yes! And even when I know for a fact that the company does not test on
animals. I really wish that companies who do not test on animals would
spend a little more effort in educating their staff on this matter. But
then again, I am not sure if it would be worth the effort, because I
have also been told many times (after lengthy explanations on what
animal testing is), that no one ever asks them these questions.
Additionally, it is also important to note that PETA's lists may be
slightly skewed depending on their take of where a company stands. For
example, The Body Shop is listed as a company that DOES NOT TEST
eventhough it is owned by L'Oreal who is listed on their list of
companies that DO TEST.
Another example, is Bare Minerals/Bare Escentuals - both of which are NOT listed on the DO NOT TEST list although
they do not test on animals or work with manufacturers that test, but are owned by Shiseido which obviously does test on animals.
So, how do you choose? I am of the opinion that if the brand does
not test on animals or use suppliers that test on animals or chemicals
that have been tested on animals, then we should support that brand even
if the parent company tests. The reason for my rationale is so that we
can send a message to the parent company that there is demand for
products that are cruelty free and that we do not support their products
that are NOT cruelty free.
However, please note that this is slightly different from purchasing
from companies that do not test on animals unless required by law - e.g.
Estee Lauder and it's brands, L'Occitane etc - whereby these companies
have chosen to test on animals in order to be able to sell their
products in certain parts of the world.
For example, on Estee Lauder's FAQ section, they have clearly stated:
DOES YOUR COMPANY TEST ON ANIMALS?
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is committed to the elimination of
animal testing. We are equally committed to consumer health and safety,
and bringing to market products that comply with applicable regulations
in every country in which our products are sold.
We do not conduct animal testing on our products or ingredients, nor ask
others to test on our behalf, except when required by law. We evaluate
our finished products in clinical tests on volunteer panels.
Estée Lauder fully supports the development and global acceptance of
non-animal testing alternatives. To this end, the Company works
extensively with the industry at large and the global scientific
community to research and fund these alternatives.
Another example, on Benefit's FAQ section:
Does Benefit Cosmetics test on animals?
Benefit does not test our cosmetic products on animals. When
selecting the ingredients to be used in our cosmetic products, Benefit
requires raw material suppliers to provide safety information based on
scientifically accepted alternative testing methods that meet
international safety standards and regulations. Benefit products must
meet both consumers' needs and consumer safety, while respecting animal
life. Benefit continues to strongly support & favor alternative
testing and is committed to following all animal testing laws and
regulations in order to ensure our products' safety for the end
consumer.
So please read the information stated on each companies' websites
carefully when trying to determine if they are cruelty free or not. If
they are vague, or if they state that they test where required by law,
then they are not deemed cruelty free.
At the same time, there are companies such as L'Occitane
,
who have decided to sell in China, but are striving to change the
animal testing requirements in China. So should we still support these
companies or not? This is something I have not quite come to terms with. So for the moment, as much as I love L'Occitane's products I have
decided to stop purchasing their stuff.
See
L'Occitane's Position on Animal Testing
L’OCCITANE does not and never has tested its products on animals and
guarantees that the active ingredients and raw materials have never been
tested on animals at any point in the product development or
manufacturing process.
L’OCCITANE has long been committed to the suppression of animal
testing for beauty products, along with associations including One Voice
and PETA. It was one of the first companies to be admitted to the
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) in 1997.
China’s policy is to test cosmetic products which are to be sold in
the Chinese market in order to safeguard consumer safety. These tests
are conducted by external laboratories in China. In December 2011 the
BUAV decided to remove their accreditation from all companies operating
in China. PETA followed suit this year.
Since December 2010, L’OCCITANE has been meeting with representatives
from the Chinese authorities and in February 2011 the company took part
in a colloquium in Beijing - together with the BUAV and the Chinese
authorities - which aimed to implement alternative tests to animal
testing, recognised by these same authorities.
L’OCCITANE is fundamentally committed to the abolition of animal
testing of beauty products worldwide and by working with the Chinese
authorities and promoting our products, which are not tested on animals
during the product development and manufacturing process, to Chinese
consumers, we believe we are more likely to encourage positive dialogue
and prove the case for the removal of animal testing for beauty
products.
L’OCCITANE continues to work alongside the BUAV as one of the main
beauty brands represented on its China Taskforce. This group works with
European and Chinese groups in order to promote alternative testing
methods. The last meeting took place in May 2012 and regular meetings
ensue. To this end, the Chinese authorities have recently launched a new
program to investigate alternative testing protocols and L’OCCITANE
continues to proactively participate to push for these alternatives to
be implemented as soon as possible.
I hope that this post has provided some insight into
how you can choose cruelty free products. There are also some other
sites that you can use to help make informed decisions about companies
that do or do not test on animals as I personally do not believe that
PETA's list is the most comprehensive or the most objective, although it
is probably the most up todate. These include:
Leaping Bunny
Choose Cruelty Free Australia
Not Tested UK
Go Cruelty Free
National Anti-Vivisection Society
Additionally, you can also download some apps for your iPhone to help you figure out if a brand or company is cruelty free:
Leaping Bunny Cruelty Free App for iPhone
Leaping Bunny Cruelty Free App for Android
PETA Be Nice to Bunnies App for iPhone
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