Well, that is certainty the longest title, I've ever given one of my humble posts. So let me explain why, I stuffed so many brands into one bunch. Coty, is the parent company of Rimmel, Sally Hansen, OPI, philosophy, Marc Jacobs (fragances), Chloe, Calvin Klein (fragrances), adidas, Playboy (fragrances), Davidoff (parfums) ) these are just the TOP 10 !); click here to see them all. I will put all of them on my official cruelty-free list on this blog. Click here.
That means, that whatever policy Coty has about animal testing, will also apply to any of those companies.
So, now that we have cleared that up, to my correspondence. I received this email, with an attached document. I was excited, being that this was the first time a company attached a document to their correspondence; it made me feel like a professional investigator.
Let me share it with you:
"Camila,
Thank you for contacting us about our use of animals in safety testing.
Coty Inc does not perform, nor do we ever commission any third parties on our behalf to perform, testing of our products or ingredients on animals. Attached please find our full Animal Testing Policy Statement.
To the fullest extent possible, Coty Inc. products, do not contain Bovine, Ovine, Caprine, or Porcine derived materials, nor do we use any animal derived musk materials. However, there may be an occasional Coty product that may contain honey, beeswax, lanolin or cochineal ingredients. In addition, some of our products are available for purchase in China.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us."
If all I had to go on Coty was this email and didn't research it more deeply, all my efforts to go cruelty-free would be worthless. That is one reason, I really enjoy receiving personalized emails from an official company representative, rather then relying in what it says on a company's FAQs page.
I will now share, the document that came attached to my email. It will go into detail. So, you've been warned.
"Coty Inc. Statement on Animal Testing
Coty Inc. is a leader in the global beauty industry and one of the world’s largest
fragrance companies. We have developed a portfolio of notable brands and offer
innovative products of outstanding quality for which we are committed to maintaining
the highest possible standards of consumer safety.
Coty voluntarily ceased testing finished cosmetic products on animals in 1991, long
before the official European ban on such testing in 2004. Coty has been actively
involved for many years in the research and development of alternatives to animal
testing.
Before we place a product on the market, we assess it thoroughly to ensure that it is
safe for human use and for the environment and that it is compliant with all applicable
laws, rules and regulations. Our safety assessment of cosmetic ingredients is based
on the use of recognized alternatives to animal testing, the use of existing safety data
and, increasingly, the sharing of such data with other industries. We do not perform,
nor do we ever commission any third parties on our behalf to perform, testing of our
products or ingredients on animals.
The only exceptions are the very few countries where, by law, the regulatory
authorities require us to submit our products or ingredients to them for testing on
animals as a mandatory part of their regulatory protocols in compliance with their
local regulations. In these countries we regularly communicate directly with the
authorities and try to convince them to accept the validity of the results of alternative
non-animal testing methods. We accede to mandated testing by the authorities on
animals only as a last resort.
We continue to strive for the development and acceptance of additional reliable non- animal testing methods and will continue to vigorously support the research,
implementation and improvement of alternatives to animal testing, especially for
those more complex tests for which no alternative methods have been established.
For this purpose we actively participate in research programs in Europe and the USA
by dedicating funding, time, resources and scientific expertise. The common goal of
all these efforts is to completely eliminate animal testing.
April 19, 2012 "
Notice how they keep repeating "We do not perform" and "We do not commission." It means that they DO NOT regulation or implement an no animal testing policy with those; third party companies include those where the raw ingredients come from.
They also talk about Coty being "actively involved for many years in the research and development of alternatives to animal testing." Blah blah blah!! Its the same story for sooo many companies!! Companies like tarte, Wet N' Wild, NYX, etc, create high quality products without resorting to animal testing.
Lastly, the document states "The only exceptions are the very few [China] countries where, by law, the regulatory authorities require us to submit our products or ingredients to them for testing on animals as a mandatory part of their regulatory protocols....." That is a red flag, which basically translates into we conduct animal testing. At some point, in Coty's distribution in those 'countries', the products are tested on animals.
It isn't surprising, but definitely a let down.
So what do you think? Are you surprised? Be sure to let me know! in the comments or email me at ca.alva@yahoo.com. :)
-Camila A.
