Breaking! Avon Becomes The First Global Beauty Company Selling In China To Stop Testing On Animals For Cosmetics

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 of 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 organizations 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 in China by making a series of investments, which includes moving away from products requiring testing, innovating new products, and expanding into alternative distribution channels

“As a global beauty company it is 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,” Jonathan Myers, Avon’s Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement. “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”.

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

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.

“We applaud Avon’s initiative to make these changes in China and to stop animal testing,” said Troy Seidle, HSI’s Vice President for Research and Toxicology. “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.”

”FRAME has partnered with Avon for 30 years to develop more relevant, non-animal tests to predict adverse human effects in cosmetics,” stated Amy Beale, Scientific Liaison Officer at FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments). “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!

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate. #GoVeg