Cosmetics Company Reverses Earlier Decision to Sell Products in China, Where Animal Tests Are Required.
Following discussions with PETA and after receiving e-mails from thousands of PETA supporter, top cosmetics company Urban Decay has canceled previously announced plans to begin marketing its products in China, where cruel and deadly animal tests are currently required by the government. For staying true to its slogan – “We don’t test on animals. How could anyone?” – at the cost of potential financial benefit, Urban Decay has been returned to PETA’s list of cruelty-free cosmetics and will receive the group’s Courage in Commerce Award.
“Urban Decay is a corporate champion in PETA’s book for refusing to pay for animals to be harmed and killed for the sake of overseas profits,” says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. “The company’s ethical decision also reveals the moral decay of other larger companies that have sold animals out for a market share in China.”
Bold and edgy, Urban Decay’s cosmetics products—many of which are specially marked with a purple pawprint to show that they are vegan—have long been a top choice for consumers who are as fashion-conscious as they are concerned about animal welfare.
Not all companies are as dedicated to being cruelty-free as Urban Decay is: Mary Kay, Avon, and Estée Lauder, which were on PETA’s list of companies that don’t test on animals for decades, recently began paying for poisoning tests on animals in order to market their products in China. But ethically minded companies like Urban Decay may not have long to wait before non-animal tests are accepted in China: Thanks to PETA-funded scientists, the Chinese government is now poised to accept its first-ever non-animal test for cosmetics ingredients.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Companies (big or small) make bad decisions. Whether UD’s retraction to sell in China is a mere tactical strategy to regain consumer sympathy or poor business foresight to begin with, awarding them is unnecessary. There are more lesser known companies that deserve recognition. I bet the PR group of UD is celebrating now *shakes my head*
I agree with Kath: there are plenty of cruelty-free brands that deserve recognition and who have stayed true to their mission statements. While I’m certainly happy to hear UD is no longer planning to sell in China, they hardly deserve an award for “Courage in Commerce”. Sadly, they have also lost their status as my favorite cosmetic brand.
I can’t believe that they got an award! This is so sick. I can only shake my head about this stupid decision.
I agree with Kath. They don’t deserve an award. >.>
Hooray! Thanks for the good news.
I agree that there are many brands out there that deserve to be awarded. Even if it’s a marketing ploy, it’s quite commentable of UD to back out as China’s a huge market. What matters is that UD a huge brand helped create awareness for animal testing requirements in China. Perhaps it’s their prominence in the industry which led them to be awarded.
On the other hand, if people buy from UD again, it will let them know that their decision was the right one to make. Granted, I’d rather they’d have said at the outset that they would not sell in a country that requires animal testing, but now they surely know that this is an important issue to their consumers.
Oh PLEASE! I would tell PETA to take their award and shove it up their hypocritical….
They sent a gift basket to an animal shelter who announced they were going to start killing their animals again and thanked them for “doing the right thing”. I prefer to reject everything PETA gets excited about in favor of true heroes that go under the radar and unrecognized.
This is great that there is an organization to keep these companies from doing harm to harmless creatures!
Whatever. Negative opinions about PETA & UDs original decision aside, the important thing is that many animals lives will be spared… thats what really matters.
Which means I can go back to purchasing UDPP, my HG primer!! Such good news, seriously!
I was not happy or successful in my search for a new primer!
Unfortunately, Simone, just months after UD went back on its China decision, they sold out to L’Oreal, one of the worst offenders when it comes to animal testing.
Hi,
I really enjoyed while reading this article. I love the image of rabbit.
Thanks
I don’t trust PETA, either. Glad to see more people on the same page as me.
…and then they sold out to L’Oreal. MAJOR FAIL, Urban Decay – MAJOR FAIL!