Friday, September 27, 2013

Two-Types of Animal Testing?

Hey guys!

 I have a really long, complicated correspondence with Essence beauty. I received a reply from them and learned about their parent company, cosnova. Of course, I had to email them as well. The reply I got from cosnova is long and leaves me with more questions than answers. They talk about two-types of animal testing. One for testing "effectiveness of cosmetics" and one for "'toxicological profile'" of ingredients. I honestly, don't know what they are talking about. I need to do my homework, if you will, because I am confused. Would you mind if I shared this un-comprehensive reply? I think it would help me and everyone out. Maybe we can have a discussion in the comments about what this means and implies.
 

Lots of Love,
Camila

Friday, September 20, 2013

Vegetarian Food Ideas

Kinda of a different post, compared to what I usually post. I just thought i'd be fun. It is a re-post from my old blog. Spacealah.


 I just wanted to share some yummy lunch ideas with you all. This is especially great if you, like me, are a vegetarian. However, if you are not I'm sure you can still take something from this. Yes I'm talking to you! Drop the McMuffin and try something different!


Berry-Delish Salad with Asian Sesame Ginger & Soy dressing!

I like using a Spring Mix rather than your traditional Roman Lettuce mix. 



I seriously cannot stand using ranch or any mayo based dressing for salads. Don't get me wrong I love it on pizza, which might be weirder. This dressing is sooooo good!!  It's sweet, tart, and a teeny bit spicy (just a bit, probably from the ginger). 

Mozzarella Grilled Cheese!
I used the MarketSide: Garlic & Herb French Bread from Wal-Mart! Which is a great balance between the mozzarella! I used a panini griller to...grill it. lol!

 Ooh-la-lah! Look at that!!

Blueberry 'Boba': Using Tampico Orange Juice


I'm sure you'd heard & probably tried either a Thai Boba Iced Tea, Taro, etc. I don't have bobas, but I do have plenty of blueberries. I decided to added a couple of them to my drink. They are so fun, you kind of forget they are in your cup until you get a nice little tart surprise!



Lots of Love,
Camila

Friday, September 13, 2013

Sleek MakeUp | Cruelty-Free?


Hey guys.
If you've been following my blog from the beginning, you will know that I've spent the last year trying, and trying, and trying to get a reply from Sleek Makeup. I've vented loads!

The first time I tried to contact them I couldn't even find a contact email, I did find a number but since I live in the US (and am a college student) I didn't want to pay the rate. (Sidenote: a reader who lives in the UK actually emailed me saying she called the number listed and they didn't reply, etc.) I therefore, decided to shoot them a message via my private facebook page. Again I waited....no reply for 5+ months. One day I finally got a message from them saying to email my question(s) to this email: pr@sleekmakeup.com.

(I don't share the company's email because, usually, if you want to contact a company you can google it or find it on their website, it's not exactly private information. However, seeing as it took a while to even find Sleek's contact information I wanted to share it so EVERYONE who is considering buying from them or has bought from them can email them and flood them with their question(s). You have a right to email, ask questions, and hear back from a company. )

Again, I waited 2 more months.

Eventually, they replied! Which was exciting except they avoided the China question.  So I emailed them again. I used the format I always use.

Finally, I got the comprehensive email I was looking for and here it is for you to see:


Hello Camilla,
Thank you for your for contacting Sleek MakeUp’s with your query. We would like to take this opportunity to address the points raised in your email to us. Sleek Makeup is a privately owned family business. When sourcing manufacturers make a conscious decision to work with companies who do not test on animals. We do not test any ingredients or finished products on animals nor are we affiliated with any third party that test on animals. 
Sleek MakeUP is currently sold worldwide which does not exclude China. No Sleek MakeUP products contain Palm Oil. However our hide It Concealer, Kajal, Eye Drama, Magnitude Mascara and Base Duo Kit contain carnauba wax that has been sourced responsibly. In regards to our products that are suitable for Vegans, we have attached a spread sheet that details which specific products are suitable. We hope this addresses all the points you have raised. If you have any further queries, do not hesitate to contact us. Kind 
RegardsCustomer Services

As you can see, they did not meet my criteria for determining cruelty-free status; therefore, I won't be adding them to my list. (1) Compliant parent company, if they have one. (2) Cruelty-free manufacturers of ingredients. (3) Not sold in China.  (To read my criteria in detail and to learn the "whys" click here).

If I'm honest, I was expecting this. Why else would it take them, close to a year to reply? At least now we can all stop guessing and can cross them off our list. I am disappointed, because seeing as they are a European brand and Europe has banned animal testing, I was hoping this correspondence might have been different. I don't understand how they are allowed to sell in a country that mandates animal testing. I'm not a lawyer so I'm not sure about the legality. I am going to try to find out why.

I sorry if this is a bummer! However, knowledge is power and now you (& I) can find an alternative company to support with our money.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Feel free to share how you feel about this email! Leave me feedback!!

Lots of Love,
Camila


Thursday, September 5, 2013

India's Ban of Animal Testing for Household Products PROPOSED!

After reading more into this story, I found that the ban for household testing has only just been proposed. Meaning that animal testing for household products is still legal. Sorry if my facebook post was misleading. I read the email with the news incorrectly. (I'm a wishful thinker, what can I say?) I truly apologize because my intention was not to miss-inform you. However, this is still a great step!! 
source

This past June I was thrilled to share with you all that India had banned animal testing on cosmetic and their ingredients on animals. It was such a huge success and I was really hopeful that they would also ban animal testing for household products.

Well, I am excited to announce that it has been proposed to the Soaps and Other Surface Active Agents Committee to replace the current test-conducted on guinea pigs- with "a non-animal test method called "the human repeated insult patch test." 

If you recall Dr. Chaitanya Koduri -PETA's India Science Policy Adviser- has a seat on said committee, right now they are waiting for all the members of the committee to "submit their comments" for the final decision.

I'm hopefully that the proposal will be successful because they have LOTS of support. Sonia Gandhi (Congress President) along with Lal Krishna Advani (senior leader of the Bharatya Janata Party) are urging the Family Welfare and Ministry of Consumers Affairs to look at PETA's requesy. There are sooo many people who are working to make this ban happen. I will link the official announcement here, be sure to check it out for more information. 

If you want to help makes this happen click here, and sign a petition to urge the ministry to ban this test. 

Hopefully soon I will hear that the proposal has passed!  

A special thanks to Tasgola Bruner for personally emailing me about this great news!!

Until Next Time,

Camila 


Monday, September 2, 2013

Soap and Glory | Cruelty-Free Correspondence




Hey guys.
I received a reply from Soap and Glory. YAY!!
I contacted them using my NEW format. Which is basically the same as the old one, I just added a bit more information.

This is what they replied :


Hi Camila,
We understand that animal testing is a key concern for a growing number of consumers and at Soap &Glory, we can confidently state that all of our formulations are safety and efficacy tested on people. (Although you might argue about that if you’d seen the condition of some of their feet. YEEEESH.)
At Soap & Glory, we uphold very strict guidelines through our regularly audited manufacturing partners that uphold the ‘no animal testing’ policy. As well, we are fortunate that our biggest retail partner – Boots The Chemists- upholds the very same standards by funding through an organisation called FRAME, which is the FUND for the REPLACEMENT of ANIMALS in MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS) in an effort to eliminate reliance in the industry on animal testing.
That said – and because we feel it necessary to be transparent and to educate EVERYBODY- it’s important for you to know that no retailer or manufacturer can categorically state that ‘none’ of their raw materials or ingredients have –at some time in the past- been tested on animals. The majority of individual raw materials used in cosmetics today have been through some kind of animal testing process. At Soap & Glory, we absolutely do not test our formulations on animals, however we can’t say that each and every ingredient that goes into them has not, at some point historically, been cleared for human use, by animal testing.
We hope this answers your question. If you need any more information about animal testing, we’d suggest you contact Colipa, the European Cosmetics Directive association, via www.colipa.eu.
Soap & Glory is a privately owned company.
Kind Regards,

First, they explain that they uphold strict outlines for their manufactures, who uphold a 'no animal testing policy'. I appreciate them acknowledging the fact that yes, today we have some ingredients that we know to be safe because in the past they have been tested on animals. It's a bold statement. Sad, but true. They are being really transparent, which I'm sure you can tell.  However, they did not address # 6, which is:

'6. Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which requires animal testing by law to sell in that country?'
Therefore I emailed then again:

Hi Sopa & Glory team!Thanks for answering my questions. (I know I had tons). You forgot to address # 6. "Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which requires animal testing by law to sell in that country?" Thanks again! -Camila
They emailed me back:

Hi Camila, We have no current plans to expand to more countries in the Asian market. Kind Regards,  (THE USUAL) Soap & Glory CUSTOMER SERVICE 
Maybe I'm just being picky, but this reply didn't really clarify much about whether or not they sell in China. TO be honest, I'm not sure about other Asian countries (expect India's) policies. I needed them to be specific. So yes, I emailed them again. I just like to be sure!!!

Hi, ?Sorry, but I don't seem to be understanding. Does Soap & Glory sale or not sale in the Chinese market? Please clarify!
To which they replied:
Hi Camila, Soap & Glory is not available in China. Nor do any of the stores that sell Soap & Glory deliver to China. Hence, one cannot buy Soap & Glory in China. Kind Regards,  (THE USUAL) Soap & Glory CUSTOMER SERVICE 
 Lol. Yup, that clarified things.

So YAY! As you can see Soap & Glory meets my three criteria to determine cruelty-free status. (1) If they have a parent company, that company must have the same cruelty-free status. (2) Compliant raw ingredient manufactures. (3) That they don't sell in the Chinese market. (Click on link if you're not sure what this means).

I hope this was helpful!

Lots of Love,
Camila 



 


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