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Behind the deep cherry red hues of lipsticks lined up screaming to be tried on, and the sleek, elegant packaging of many a beautiful beauty creation could lie a sorry tale of cruelty and suffering. When you look at a new beauty product, what do you consider? The price? The colour? The brand? How about which animal might have died for the sake of vanity?
Animal testing has long been a huge issue in the beauty world, and indeed the fickle world of fashion, and for anybody who has followed me on my social media channels will know, I cannot stand it. The idea that a poor, helpless animal might have died in sacrifice for my flawless finish base really sickens me to the stomach.
So much so, that in an ideal world, every single makeup product that I used would be cruelty free – a process I am working my way through at a rather quick pace.
Today, while I was browsing through the internet updating myself on the latest cosmetic news for a client campaign, I came across something that gave me a huge surge of quiet elation, there in front of me in bold black and white, was a beautiful piece of writing informing me that China has finally started to make a forward push to phasing out its animal testing requirements. Yes. China’s Food & Drug Administration is planning to phase out its current requirement that domestically manufactured cosmetics be tested on animals which will come into play from June 2014. I am thrilled at the news, but rather wish it was to be a little sooner.
Maybe this comes as a surprise to many, that the barbaric act of animal testing is still very much alive? As The Independent reports, “although cosmetic animal testing is already banned across the European Union, Israel and India, and the EU implemented an additional marketing ban this year, people are often amazed to find out that testing lipsticks, soaps and skin creams on animals remains legal in more than 80 percent of the world. Up until this announcement, China was the only country in the world with mandatory animal testing requirements for domestically manufactured cosmetic products.”
Although this is positively good news for the bunnies and mice of the World, it’s also a healthy little boost for commerce too; many a brand who have stayed true to their cruelty free ethics, such as the long-campaigning LUSH and The Body Shop, will be able to trade in China, and Chinese brands will be able to sell in the EU. I can’t help but think; two birds, one stone.
I feel that once again, The Independent summed it all up wonderfully, “let us not forget this: right up until the day the EU ban on cosmetics animal testing came into force, industries and commercial brands insisted animals were ‘essential’ and a ban would have ‘dire’ and ‘catastrophic’ consequences. They were proved wrong. The EU has got its beauty cruelty free and this latest change shows that one day China will get it too.”
Bravo.
Feature image courtesy of Maggiesemple.
© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2013.
