L'Oreal contributes to an important step towards validating alternative method in China

The experts from the multicenter study management group highly appraised that this multicenter study based on L’Oreal Chinese Episkin represents the very first validation of standardized and normative animal testing alternative methods in accordance with international standards in China, and this project provides a solid technical support for corresponding to the new regulation in European Union. It created a novel mode for making accordance with the international technical platform of animal testing alternative methods. More than thirty years of research on skin reconstruction and development of predictive methods have been recognized in this day and it is a great step towards the promotion of alternative methods in China by sharing knowledge and tools. This method has already allowed L’Oréal to comply with EU regulation without impact on sustainable innovation and safety and it won’t have any bad influence on L’Oreal expansion on Chinese market.  ( L’Oreal, 2013)

Reference

L’Oreal (2013) ‘L'Oreal contributes to an important step towards validating alternative method in China’, 14 November, Available at: http://www.loreal-finance.com/eng/news/research-innovation-926.htm (Accessed: 9 February, 2014)

The truth about L’Oreal

North Carolina (2012) points out that beauty product giant, L’Oreal, has made a lot of headlines like resuming animal testing to sell new products to the Chinese market but not in the most positive way. L’Oreal has found themselves in hot water with consumers who demand ethical practices and safer products. L’Oreal is the companies who have slyly claimed they are against unnecessary animal testing, while really meaning that they just did not have any need to do so at the time. They are aiming to sell new products in China, they have resumed animal testing, but are lamenting that their hands are tied and they have no other options. They’ve also been craftily stating that they haven’t tested “finished products” on animals since 1989, which really means that they still test ingredients on animals, just not the finished product.

Reference

Carolina, N. (2012) ‘The Truth About L'Oreal’, Beautylish, 11 June, Available at: http://www.beautylish.com/t/rxvzj/the-truth-about-loreal  (Accessed: 7 February, 2014)

China Animal Testing Complicates L’Oreal’s Expansion

While the EU prohibits animal testing, large multi-national beauty companies are facing the reverse challenge in China. In broad strokes, local regulations require such testing for new products introduced in the market, which at nearly 35 billion dollars is quickly becoming the most coveted in the world. Samples of all products must be submitted for testing at local levels. L’Oreal has taken similar stances on the matter – maintaining that animals trials are only conducted where mandated by law or when no other alternatives exist. L’Oreal emphasizes the fact that only 1 percent of its total safety tests involve animals, and that it operates a reconstructed sin lab in China for local tests. Everyone is reportedly ‘actively’ working with local authorities on alternative approval methods. The official government stance is that while there is no adversity to alternative testing, they to reach category expertise cannot be developed overnight. (Edited China, 2013)

Reference

Edited China (2013) ‘China Animal Testing Complicates L’Oreal’s Expansion’, 22 August, Available at: http://editedchina.com/post/59674196269/china-animal-testing-complicates-loreals (Accessed: 6 February, 2014)

Victory against cruelty: Animal test ban finally takes effect after 30 years

                                                                  An EU ban on animal testing has come into effect

Charlotte Meredith (2013) reported the victory for animal welfare campaigners comes after decades of protests against using animals to test the safety of toiletries. EU regulators announced the ban along with a pledge to make more efforts to push other parts of the world, like China, to accept alternatives. Before a ban on animal experiments in the EU in 2009, about 2,000 animals were still being used for testing in France, the Czech Republic, Spain and Romania. As a cosmetics company, L’Oreal has said that it would respect the ban and “no longer sell in Europe any finished product with an ingredient that was tested on animals. However, it doesn’t means they won’t sell their finished products without animal tasting in other countries besides EU like China. The RSPCA will now be taking its message to these countries and companies to ask them to follow our lead and end this suffering.

Reference

Meredith, C. (2013) ‘Victory against cruelty: Animal test ban finally takes effect after 30 years’, Express, 11 March, Available at: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/383425/Victory-against-cruelty-Animal-test-ban-finally-takes-effect-after-30-years (Accessed: 4 February, 2014)

Behind the Brand: L’Oreal

Peter Salisbury (2011) wrote that in 2009, L’Oreal published a report on its sustainable practices, which repeated the claim that it does not test finished products on animals. In this report, L’Oreal said that it has not used animals to test its finished products since 1989, except in the case where national legislation requires it. This is the case in certain countries where L’Oreal operates and in those locations regulations require testing using animals before substances can be registered for commercial use. As L’Oreal operates on an international scale, it is obliged to comply with the current national legislation for products that are manufactured locally and sold locally. L’Oréal do face a tough set of choices; either innovate in order to maintain their market share, or use existing ingredients and allow less ethical competitors to launch new products, or continue developing within the limits of regional legislation.

Reference

Salisbury, P. (2011) ‘Behind the Brand: L’Oreal’, Ecologist, 10 August, Available at: http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/behind_the_label/1008667/behind_the_brand_loral.html (Accessed: 3 February, 2014)

China may change rules on animal tests for cosmetics

China is considering changing the rules to allow the sale of some cosmetics without requiring them to be tested on animals, opening up the mainland market to international firms opposed to the practice. Under the potential changes, “non-specialized cosmetics” manufactured in China — such as shampoos, soaps, nail products and some skin products — could be sold from June next year without undergoing animal testing, according to the China Food and Drug Administration. This may enable firms which do not allow the practice, such as British cosmetics retailer The Body Shop, owned by L’Oreal, to enter the country’s 134 billion yuan (US$22 billion) cosmetics market. The Body Shop welcomes the signals that the Chinese authorities are adopting a new approach to cosmetic testing. (China, 2013)

Reference:

China.org.cn (2013) ‘China may change rules on animal tests for cosmetics’, 14 November, Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-11/14/content_30597257.htm (Accessed: 1 February, 2014)

L'Oreal donates $1.2million to help abolish animal testing but welfare groups say the company should stop the practice NOW

Cruelty-free: Cosmetic giant L'Oreal has donated $1.2million to an EPA program that will investigate the safety of chemicals without the need for animal testing

Hannah Rand (2012) reported that L'Oreal has taken a step further to stopping the testing of their beauty and fragrance products on live animals. The company has donated $1.2million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help improve the testing of safe chemicals. The move will lessen the amount of experiments that need to be done on animals – potentially even making the emotive practice obsolete. Chemical testing is more expensive than experiments on animals, which is why only a handful of cosmetic companies go completely 'cruelty-free'. And, as a result, there are potentially many chemicals on the market not being used that may already be completely safe, EPA official David Dix told NY Daily News. The money will be used to fund EPA testing of a system called ToxCast, which according to the EPA is the most up-to-date method.

Reference

Rand, H. (2012) ‘L'Oreal donates $1.2million to help abolish animal testing but welfare groups say the company should stop the practice NOW’, Dailymail, 15 March, Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2115572/LOreal-donates-1-2million-help-abolish-animal-testing-welfare-groups-say-company-stop-practice-NOW.html (Accessed: 30 January, 2014)