Cosmetics Company Reverses Earlier Decision to Sell Products in China, Where Animal Tests Are Required
For
Immediate Release:
July
9, 2012
Contact:
Wendy
Wegner 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. — Following discussions with PETA—and after receiving e-mails from thousands of PETA supporters—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.