Media Release: Cruelty-Free Companies Urge Australian Government to Ban Cosmetics Animal Testing
Corporate support for Be Cruelty-Free Australia campaign
MELBOURNE (15 Jan 2015) – More than thirty cosmetics companies from across Australia have written an open letter to Health Minister Sussan Ley urging her to support a national ban on animal testing for cosmetics and the sale of cosmetics animal-tested abroad. Aussie brands backing the #BeCrueltyFree Australia campaign include KORA Organics, the cruelty-free range by model Miranda Kerr, as well as Australis, Natio, MooGoo, Lush Australia, The Body Shop and H&M.
THE OPEN LETTER CAN BE VIEWED AT:
www.humaneresearch.org.au/bcf/Australian_Cruelty-Free_Cosmetics_Open_Letter.pdf
Please
see below for a complete list of corporate signatories to the open
letter.
The open
letter reads, “Banning
animal testing of cosmetics inside Australia, as well as the sale of
cosmetics newly animal-tested abroad, would be good news for our
industry, and benefit
consumers
and animals alike. Our customers buy our products knowing that their
safety has not been based on old fashioned toxicity tests on mice and
rats that were developed more than half a century ago and are of
questionable relevance to humans. Consumer safety can be better
assured by utilising the thousands of existing cosmetic ingredients
widely available with safe use histories combined with advanced,
OECD-approved non-animal testing methods.”
#BeCrueltyFree
Australia’s campaign
co-ordinator Hannah Stuart said: "It’s
great to have support from Australia’s own cosmetics industry for
an end to needless animal testing of beauty products. These
successful companies are testament to the fact that in the 21st
century, we don’t need to harm bunnies and guinea pigs to produce a
new shampoo or lipstick. It’s time for Australia to join the
growing number of countries around the world saying no to cosmetics
animal testing."
A
public opinion poll conducted
in May 2013 by Nexus Research on behalf of Humane Research Australia
found that the overwhelming majority of Australians (85%) oppose
using animals to develop cosmetics and 81% support a national ban on
the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. Similarly, a July 2014
opinion poll by Roy Morgan Research showed that 'Not Tested on
Animals' was one of the top 3 features looked for by Australian
female consumers when buying cosmetics, ranking higher than
anti-ageing benefits and sun protection factor.
Testing
cosmetics on animals is still legal in around 80 per cent of
countries globally, including Australia. Although such testing is
believed to be limited in Australia, without a ban, the suffering can
continue or even grow in future. Cosmetics tests involve animals
having chemicals dripped in their eyes, spread on their skin or force
fed to them in massive doses. Some of these tests were first
developed in the 1940s and cannot be relied upon to guarantee
consumer safety. Cruelty-free companies operate by combining use of
long-established ingredients with
modern,
non-animal test methods that better predict human responses.
#BeCrueltyFree
Australia – run
by Humane Research Australia and Humane Society International - is
part of the largest campaign in the world to end cosmetics animal
testing. Globally
there are Be
Cruelty-Free
campaigns in
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand,
Russia, Taiwan and the United States.
Australians
can support #BeCrueltyFree Australia by simply visiting
www.BeCrueltyFree.org.au,
and voicing their support for a national ban on animal testing for
cosmetics and the sale of cosmetics animal-tested abroad.
Be Cruelty-Free Australia would like to thank the following Australian cosmetics brands:
Adorn Cosmetics
Aromababy
Australis Cosmetics
Be Genki
Biologika
The Body Shop
Davroe
Eco Tan
Ere Perez
H&M
Inika
Innoxa
Kester Black
Kora Organics
Kosmea Australia
La Mav Organic Skin Science
Le Rêve
Living Nature
Lush Australia
Mode
MooGoo Skin Care
Mukti Organics
MV Organic Skincare
Nui International
Original & Mineral
Paul Penders
peachface
People for Plants
Pure & Green Organics
Purestuf Natural Skincare
The Purist Company
TriShave
zk'in
Download the media release here:
Cruelty-Free Companies Urge Australian Government to Ban Cosmetics Animal Testing (147KB)
Media contact:
Hannah Stuart
Be Cruelty-Free Australia Campaign Coordinator
P: 03 9418 3988
E: hannahstuart@humaneresearch.org.au
