I am in no way an “Animal Activist” – at least, not a militant one. I don’t throw eggs at coachloads of posh people attending Hunt Balls (although I used to). I don’t raid laboratories in the misguided idea of setting the animals loose in the wild (along with who-knows-what nasty man-made bacteria) where they would be completely unable to fend for themselves; I don’t throw myself in front of hounds and foxes during hunts, as I don’t believe that dying is going to aid any cause – you need to be alive to support whatever it is you’re fighting for or against!
I am a “Passive Activist”. I sign petitions; I refuse to wear fur; I buy cosmetics that have not been animal tested (LUSH is the only place I’ll buy my shampoo); I will not allow meat or eggs over the threshold if it isn’t stamped “Free Range” and I ferret out those who claim to respect their livestock but don’t (for instance, I haven’t purchased Happy Eggs since an undercover reporter recorded horrific conditions and chickens with rotting and diseased feet) – and I do my best to get the word out. This would extend to dairy, but being lactose intolerant means that I am not a consumer and know very little about how the animals are treated.
If animals are to be my eventual food and clothing, I want to know that they have recieved the respect in life that I give to them in death – my honour and my thanks (I’m Wiccan after all; that’s a huge part of my religion).
Imagine my surprise and distress, then, when I discovered this morning that AVON have reintroduced animal testing in order to corner the Chinese market.
This means that I unwittingly agreed to the suffering and death of an innocent creature on my wedding day, because I was wearing Avon makeup. I rarely wear makeup, and when I do I am always careful as to the products I purchase and use. Avon have been claiming no animal testing for twenty years – which is why I use their products and was even one of their “Avon Ladies” for some years.
The news came from PETA, who I usually take with a very large pinch of rock salt because they blow everything out of proportion and even verge on the insane (Sea Kittens? Please; a fish is a fish), but curious bloggers have unearthed proof HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.
In future I shall be looking out for products from URBAN DECAY, who have changed their minds about entering the Chinese market on the principal of wishing to remain cruelty free.
PETA have more information on more companies and a petition if you care to follow the link. I am personally targetting Avon because I have used their products exclusively for many years, and also I was duped into selling cruelty free products, which weren’t.
I am much the same as you, carefully selecting products of all sorts to be free of animal cruelty and testing. I also refuse doing business with any company on any level that partakes in animal cruelty. I will pay extra in giving business to those companies or entities that promote animal rights. Thank you for this informative post!
I have always been the same way, and never would have become a face for Avon had I known I was peddling torture!
If we can’t afford free range (or, at the very least, farm assured) meat them we cook a vegetarian meal. If it doesn’t have either of those statuses going for it then it doesn’t land in our shopping trolley. We grow as much of our own veg as we can so that we’re not endorsing the GM market.
I will not encourage the torture of animals just so I can have an even-looking skintone. I like to look nice, but I won’t let any creature pay a price for my vanity – one of the many reasons I stopped colouring my hair. I think my smattering of silver-ash is rather fetching anyway
I’m a passive activist as well. I’m a vegetarian and make sure that all the products I use are animal friendly. It really surprises me that Avon is willing to forgo their integrity for monetary gain. It’s sickening.
I am genuinely shocked and sickened. I thought I was wearing cruelty free makeup on my wedding day and I wasn’t! I’ve emailed them to let them know that I am never buying their products again.
I have a particular liking for the Ethical Superstore, and I just had a look to see if they did ‘no animal testing’ products specifically. They do – http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/tags/no-animal-testing/ – and I’ve bought loads of things from them and they are reliable and good quality. (And no, they’re not paying me!)
Ooooh, thanks for the info! I may well edit to include the link
Here is a link with a more extensive list of who does and doesn’t test on animals for your use. http://www.beautypedia.com/AnimalTesting.aspx
Thank you so much for this
I find it completely disgusting that in this day and age they still use animals to test. I used to trust Avon but I won’t be using them again.
As for Urban Decay – this is the make up I use and whilst pricy its absolutely amazing! I love their Book of Shadows, their Black Pallet and their Smoke Out kit. Oh and their 24/7 eyeliners. Their make up also lasts ages and feels so light and airy on without being heavy and greasy. I highly recommend them!
Oh yuck. That is unsettling, thanks for letting me know.
Like you, I don’t wear a lot of make-up but that’s generally because I don’t want to smear a lot of chemicals on my skin. The cosmetics industry is so poorly regulated that a whole bunch of toxins go into that mess. When I do need a touch of something, I use an organic branch called miessence which is brill. They def don’t test on animals and are environmentally conscious to boot!
If you’re concerned about what products are safest, this is a really good resource: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
I will never forget when I first became aware of animal cruelty (thank goodness for those who bring us aware) & I was AMAZED to learn that bunny rabbits had their eyes held open while shampoo was dripped in it, to check for irritation etc – if that wasn’t a myth; if that was true (I don’t know, but it did have impact). And I remember first choosing cruelty free, & weighing up the price difference, but then feeling too cruel to buy the other stuff, & now it just comes naturally to choose – & in fact, I once asked “Is this cruelty free?” & the shop assistant said basically everything is, now. I’m not sure about that – but if I knew for certain, I would most certainly continue to mindfully choose cruelty free.
I’m the same kind of activist as you. Good on you, Missus
Well done, you! I do try to buy stuff that hasn’t been tested on animals but I have to admit I haven’t tried hard enough. You’ve inspired me to try harder in future.
Thanks for passing the message on!
Reblogged this on butimbeautiful and commented:
This is a great post on why you might want to think twice about using Avon and some other products. We might be willing to suffer for beauty but some poor rabbit didn’t sign up for that. Miss Tribble also gives a link to check who does animal testing and who doesn’t. http://www.beautypedia.com/AnimalTesting.aspx
Bravo!
Why thank you!
Good Girl! I hate animal testing and only buy from Lush or Health Food Store as well! in terms of makeup, I have certain allergies so I can’t be too picky or else I’ll never have anything. But I go for the hypo-allergenic ones and hope they aren’t animal tested (Almay?).. More than anything else, I prefer as few chemicals as possible
As far as I’m aware Almay don’t test on animals. I, too, have problem skin, and so I rarely wear makeup – but I don’t want to react when I do!