Global | Dec 12, 2019
Avon takes global stand against animal testing
Avon has ended all regulatory-required animal testing, making it the first global beauty company* selling in China to stop all animal testing of ingredients and products across all its brands**.
Respect for animal welfare is a cornerstone of Avon’s product safety philosophy and Avon was one of the first companies to stop animal testing to support product safety 30 years ago. Since then Avon has supported the development of non-animal approaches and has worked in partnership with organisations such as the Institute for In Vitro Sciences and Humane Society International (HSI) to promote their acceptance by regulatory authorities around the world.
Now Avon has taken the significant step to immediately stop all animal testing for China by making a series of investments, which includes moving away from products requiring testing, innovating in new products and expanding into alternative distribution channels.
“As a global beauty company it’s hugely important to us to be able to continue to build our business in China. Our goal is to deliver products to meet our customers’ needs without compromising our commitment to animal welfare, our high product safety standards or our adherence to regulatory requirements. By investing in how we develop new innovation for China and in some cases changing distribution channels, we are able to deliver this landmark change. Globally, none of Avon’s products will be tested on animals”.
Jonathan Myers, Avon’s Chief Operating Officer
With these changes, Avon will focus on working with suppliers on their animal testing policies for ingredients used in Avon’s products. Meanwhile Avon will continue to work with its partners to push for regulatory change and greater acceptance of alternatives to animal testing.
Kathy Guillermo, Senior Vice President at animal rights organisation PETA said: “PETA celebrates Avon’s commitment to ending all cosmetic testing on animals everywhere in the world, and we know millions of consumers will too. It’s the ethical thing to do and we’ve been delighted to work with Avon throughout this process.”
Earlier this year Avon joined HSI’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign to outlaw cosmetic animal testing in key global beauty markets, and to support government safety regulators, smaller companies and other key stakeholders in building capacity to fully transition to animal-free safety assessment for cosmetic products and ingredients.
Troy Seidle, HSI Vice President for Research & Toxicology, said: “We applaud Avon’s initiative to make these changes in China and to stop animal testing. We are delighted to count Avon among our #BeCrueltyFree campaign supporters as we work with lawmakers across the globe toward meaningful policy change that reflects our shared vision of cruelty-free beauty.”
Amy Beale, Scientific Liaison Officer at FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments), said: “FRAME is dedicated to the development of new, valid and ethical scientific methods that will replace the need for laboratory animals in medical and scientific research, education and testing. FRAME has partnered with Avon for 30 years to develop more relevant, non-animal tests to predict adverse human effects in cosmetics. This is a positive move from Avon and sends an important message to the global cosmetics industry that animal testing for cosmetics is unnecessary and unacceptable, and that we must push for global acceptance of alternative techniques that are scientifically valid and have human relevance.”
More information on Avon’s animal welfare position can be found here.
* * Based on Euromonitor International (April 2019) top 10 global beauty and personal care companies
** Associated published global animal welfare policies and animal testing certification as of November 2019