11th August 2008
Male grooming range in the running to be named the UK's most animal-friendly cosmetics brand
The RSPCA reveals the cosmetics finalists for the 2008 Good Business Awards
Proving that it's not just women who want to look after themselves by using cruelty free cosmetics, a male grooming range is competing for the first time to win the cosmetics category of the RSPCA Good Business Awards. Bulldog has been named a finalist alongside Lush, M&S, The Body Shop and Urban Decay for its strong animal welfare credentials.
Jo Fairley, one of the judges says: “We were greatly impressed by quality of the entries we received this year – and these were the cream of the crop. It is extremely heartening to see the passion and commitment that comes through from many of these cosmetics companies to delivering high standards of animal welfare."
"The number and scale of the companies who entered show that there is a real motivation for change within the industry, and companies are starting to step up and deliver on their promises."
Testing cosmetics on animals has become an increasingly prominent issue, especially in light of the EU Cosmetics Directive (76/768/EEC), whereby the testing of ingredients on animals will be phased out by 2009. This will be followed in 2013 by a ban on the sale of any cosmetic in the EU where the product or its ingredients have been tested on animals where an alternative, non animal test could have been used instead.
The RSPCA and the judges in the cosmetics category believe the development of such alternatives is the key to an animal welfare friendly future.
David Bowles, Head of External Affairs for the RSPCA says: “The RSPCA Good Business Awards seek to encourage and reward forward-thinking companies.
The five nominees must be commended for publicising animal welfare concerns and working to ensure alternatives to animal testing for cosmetics are developed – which is crucial to the realisation of a humane beauty industry.”
Finalists for the cosmetics category of The RSPCA Good Business Awards 2008 (in alphabetical order) are:
- Bulldog for the remarkable product safety section on their website, and their strict policies around the inclusion of ingredients from animal sources, and animal testing.
- Lush for their funding and dedication to The Dr Hadwen Trust, which promotes non-animal testing techniques, and their innovative use of Christmas window displays.
- M&S for their consistent visionary thinking and their commitment to replacing animal testing with alternatives.
- The Body Shop for their commitment to funding a REACH policy officer in the European Union, their great staff motivation, and impressive forward thinking attitude.
- Urban Decay for their appeal to consumers to question how cosmetics are tested, and the manner in which they engage their own customers on this important issue.
Notes to editors:
The cosmetics category is in association with Soap, Perfumery and Cosmetics (SPC) magazine. The other categories in the RSPCA Good Business Awards are Fashion, Food Retailers and Restaurants.
The independent panel of judges for the cosmetics category of the RSPCA Good Business Awards 2008 comprises: Gerard Duvé, consultant to Frame (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments), and former Head of Technical Services at Superdrug; and Jo Fairley, co-author of the Beauty Bible series and co-founder of Green and Blacks.
Entrants to the cosmetics category are judged on the basis of their practices in the following areas:
- Testing of cosmetics products on animals
- Testing of cosmetics product ingredients on animals
- Providing clear and informative product labelling
- Commitment to replacing animal testing with alternative testing methods
- Company aspirations regarding animal welfare
For media enquiries, please contact Vaneetha Balasubramaniam or Nicki Akers at 77PR on 0207 492 0977. Email vaneetha.b@77pr.co.uk or nicki.akers@77pr.co.uk or the RSPCA press office on 0300 123 0244 or press@rspca.org.uk.
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