Friday, June 7, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Help Michael !
Hey guys. This is a non-animal rights related post. However, it's really important. I didn't know if I should post it on here, but I decided if I lost some followers it would be worth it.
Michael Molinar, who is 17 years old, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). A week ago his parents were told he only had 3 weeks to live. His parents desperately need help to seek alternative treatment as the children's hospital can't help him anymore. If you can please donate, if not then share this link!! Keep him and his family in your prayers!!!
Michael's father created a page on giveforward to raise funds.
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/byg2/help-save-my-son-from-terminal-brain-cancer
I heard about Michael's story from my grandmother, who is a close friend of Michael's grandmother. The family has been turned upside down and I can't even imagine their pain. PLEASE, share this on your facebook, tumblr, twitter, etc. Donate if you can. Apathy is doesn't help anyone.
Michael and his father. |
Michael Molinar, who is 17 years old, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). A week ago his parents were told he only had 3 weeks to live. His parents desperately need help to seek alternative treatment as the children's hospital can't help him anymore. If you can please donate, if not then share this link!! Keep him and his family in your prayers!!!
Michael's father created a page on giveforward to raise funds.
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/byg2/help-save-my-son-from-terminal-brain-cancer
I heard about Michael's story from my grandmother, who is a close friend of Michael's grandmother. The family has been turned upside down and I can't even imagine their pain. PLEASE, share this on your facebook, tumblr, twitter, etc. Donate if you can. Apathy is doesn't help anyone.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
stila
Hey guys.
Maybe a week or so ago, I got in contact with stila. I emailed them using the usual format --which is will link here if you are interested. I received more than a handful of emails, so sit tight this is going to be a rather long post.
The first reply I received:
Hello,Stila does not use animals for any type of testing on our products and also choose vendors that follow the same business standards.As you can see, they did not address the China questions, whether their raw ingredients are also certified cruelty-free, and whether or not they have a parent company.
Kind Regards,
Stila Cosmetics Customer Care custcare@stilacosmetics.com(866) 784-5201makeup your own rules
I emailed them again:
Thank you for your promote reply. I have a couple of other questions which were not directly addressed.
1. Do you sell Stila products in China? (retail not just online).
2. Do you test ingredients or products on animals through a 3rd party?3. Do your manufacturers test ingredients or products on animals?
4. Do you have any vegan products, if which ones?
5. Do you use palm oil/ carbuna wax in your products? If so are they from an organic and/or sustainable source?
I have one comment. Why doesn't stila become certified as cruelty-free by leaping bunny or peta? There is an entire market of people who only shop for cruelty-free products, being certified will reach that demographic.
Thank you once again.
Camila
I will publish any reply I receive on my personal blog, humanelychic.blogspot.com
I then received a 2nd email from stila:
Hi Camila, stila cosmetics offers high-quality products that are not animal tested. However, we cannot certify that our products are vegan because we are not in control of the preliminary ingredient source or tools in which our products are produced and cannot ensure that they have not been used for other products that are not vegan. You can always find a list of ingredients for all of our products on our website at www.stilacosmetics.com. We do not authorize our products to be sold in china. As previously stated, stila does not use animals for any type of testing on our products and also choose vendors that follow the same business standards. Our customer care team will inform you comment to our public relations department.
Kind Regards, Stila Cosmetics Customer Care custcare@stilacosmetics.com(866) 784-5201makeup your own rules
Rather than clearing up concerns, this second email left me more confused. If stila cannot certify that their products are vegan, as they are not in control of "preliminary ingredient"; I wonder how stila certifies that the manufactures of their raw ingredients "follow the same business standards"? Also, they did not address my question about China. Therefore, I emailed them again hoping they could clear up my question:
Thank you for replying to my emails promptly and kindly. You stated : "we cannot certify that our products are vegan because we are not in control of the preliminary ingredient source or tools in which our products are produced and cannot ensure that they have not been used for other products that are not vegan."I then received this 3rd email:
Can Stila certify that the ingredients they use are also not tested on animals? Also, does Stila have retail stores in China that sell the products? I know you have previously informed me that you do not "authorize" Stila products to be sold, exactly what does that mean?
Do you only sell online? How does Stila ensure that no animal testing occurs? As you know China's law requires animal testing for beauty products to be sold in the country.
I will be looking forward to your email.
Camila
I will publish any reply I receive on humanelychic.blogspot.com. Which is my privately owned blog.
Hi Camila,Stila does not use animals for any type of testing on our products and also choose vendors that follow the same business standards. Stila cosmetics products are not registered to be sold in China which means we also do not have any authorized retailers located in China.An authorized retailer is a company who purchases our products directly from us through our sales department and sells our products directly to consumers. Since our products are not registered in China, this means that stila cosmetics also does not have any authorized retailers located in China.We hope this new information has been helpful and you have a wonderful day filled with lots of smiles and blushes!
Kind Regards, Stila Cosmetics Customer Care custcare@stilacosmetics.com(866) 784-5201makeup your own rulesWell, at least they cleared up the China question. However, I have a couple of problems with this correspondence. First, I don't understand why stila can't certify what products/ingredients are vegan. If they are unable to certify that, how can they be sure that the manufactures of the raw ingredients also don't test on animals?
I won't be adding stila to either my cruelty-free list or my not-cruelty-free list. I need more clarification and will be calling them soon.
I was hesitant about sharing this correspondence, but I figured it would be helpful (maybe partly) to some of you. I personally, will hold off on purchasing from stila for now, I would advise you to do the same.
Meanwhile, if you have information that might clear things up, or maybe you have been in contact with stila, I would appreciate you share what they told you or share just leave me a comment about your opinion. Thank you for supporting my little o'l blog.
Until Next Time,
Camila
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
ELF
Hey guys.
I already have a blog post dedicated to ELF. However, it relays solely on the information I found on their FAQ page. Of course, I couldn't come to add them to My List because I felt the information was inconclusive. Seeing as I finally received an official reply from them, I felt it was time to re-visit that blog post.
I emailed them using the format I always use). I'm linking it here, so you can check it out, that way my blog posts don't become redundant.
This is the reply I received:
I appreciate that they took the time to tell me about their partnership with PETA; however, they did not answer all my questions. They did not tell me about their policy inregards to selling in China. They did talk about their ingredients, but did not directly tell me whether the manufactures of those ingredients are also cruelty-free. They did not state their parent company, etc. I decided to email them again.
I already have a blog post dedicated to ELF. However, it relays solely on the information I found on their FAQ page. Of course, I couldn't come to add them to My List because I felt the information was inconclusive. Seeing as I finally received an official reply from them, I felt it was time to re-visit that blog post.
I emailed them using the format I always use). I'm linking it here, so you can check it out, that way my blog posts don't become redundant.
This is the reply I received:
Thank you for your support and interest in e.l.f. cosmetics. At e.l.f. Cosmetics, we believe that beauty comes from within all of us. Our line of luxurious cosmetics captures great looking skin with gorgeous colors and quality ingredients. Our products are designed to let your inner beauty shine through.
We are proud to say that we do not test on animals or endorse such practices. We currently support PETA and are partners with PETA in the Caring Consumer Project. All of our brushes in our essential line are made from cut natural horse hair and have genuine wood handles. Our brushes in our studio line are vegan friendly and made of anti-bacterial, synthetic Taklon hair. You can find all e.l.f. ingredients indicated on the packaging of our products as well as on our website. All ingredients used in e.l.f. cosmetics are vegan friendly, safe and meet F.D.A requirements. Ingredients are listed on our website as well as on the packaging of our products.
Our vision is to empower and educate women to play in innovation without sacrificing their budget and feel confident in herself and the products she's using. We offer a complete line of makeup and professional tools-all at an extreme value price! To learn more please visit eyeslipsface.com.
Sincerely,
the e.l.f. team
elf@eyeslipsface.com
e.l.f. Cosmetics Affordable Luxury
Ph. 212-239-1530
I appreciate that they took the time to tell me about their partnership with PETA; however, they did not answer all my questions. They did not tell me about their policy inregards to selling in China. They did talk about their ingredients, but did not directly tell me whether the manufactures of those ingredients are also cruelty-free. They did not state their parent company, etc. I decided to email them again.
Thank you for your promote reply!
I have a question that was no addressed in the email below.
1. 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?
2.How does e.l.f. make sure that their raw ingredients are also not tested on animals? Does e.l.f. have a specific audit procedure for the manufactures of those ingredients?
3.I know e.l.f.'s parent company is Limited Brands. Does Limited Brands also have e.l.f.'s no cruelty philosophy?
Your Costumer,
Any reply received will be published on humanelychic.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Quick Resource for Cruelty-Free Brands
(leapingbunny.com) |
Hello guys.
I know going cruelty-free can be really difficult. Especially, when you want to replace the essentials: foundation, eyeliner, house cleaning products, etc. I don't want you to have to wait for me or any other cruelty-free blog to publish a correspondence in order to feel safe when purchasing from a company. I still feel it's important to conduct your own research about a company (email them, call them, etc); however, receiving a reply can often take weeks, even months.
Therefore, I wanted to share a resource I personally use and feel ok using in those situations. It is the LeapingBunny "The Little Book of Cruelty-Free." When they say little, they aren't lying! I try to carry it in all my bags : purse, backpack, small little shoulder bags, etc. I find it so convenient!
The best part is that to own your own little book won't cost you a dime. Just go to this link here and fill out your name, email, etc. At the bottom it will give you an option to either download PDF with Cruelty-free list or to have them send you the little book through the post.
Obviously, once you get to this point decide for yourself. (You can do both!) I recommend to have them mail you the little book, just because (as I've mentioned) it's so convenient to own!
Just be careful to look at symbols ( #, *, **) next to company's name! At the bottom it tells you what they mean.
(i.e. # : Owned by parent company which is not certified)
I hope this little book makes your life easier. Remember I am not encouraging you to rely solely only on this list, you should conduct your own research; however, this resource is really reliable and will save you much grief!
Until Next Time,
Camila
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Laura Mercier
Hello guys!
I'm so motivated to be posting more frequently!!
Today, I'm going to share my correspondence with Laura Mercier. No, not The Laura Mercier! One of her representatives. Although, the opportunity to correspond with Laura would be quite interesting. I have a few things I would enjoy discussing with her.
Moving right along! If you follow my blog, you must be really familiar with the formate I use to contact a company. I will however, share it once more (& probably always) just so that everyone who reads the replies I receive can understand them more clearly. So, I apologize if the regurgitation of it gets old, but here at HumanelyChic, I want everyone to understand what they are reading. Going cruelty-free is tough enough, without an added unnecessary confusion!
"To Whomever it May Concern:I am doing research on animal testing, and I need to verify a few key points about your company.
1. Does your company test ingredients or finished products on animals?
2. Do you test ingredients or products on animals through a 3rd party?
3. Do your manufacturers test ingredients or products on animals?
4. Are you owned or affliliated with any companies that test products or ingredients on animals?
5. 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?
6. Do you use palm oil/carnuaba wax in any of your products? If so, is it from an organic and sustainable source?
7. Could you provide a list of all of your current vegan items available for purchase?
Thank you so much for the information."
I received this reply:
Thank you for contacting us with your question. We do not test our products on animals. We do however use animal derived products such as lanolin, beeswax, carmine, and cultured pearls in some of our products. We do use some natural animal derived hairs in some of our brushes. The hairs are obtained as a byproduct.
For a complete list of ingredients for any of our products, please visit our website and click on the "ingredients" tab on the product's detail page. Thank you for your interest in Laura Mercier Cosmetics. We oppose animal testing and our products are not tested on animals unless required by government regulations. We actively lead initiatives to create alternatives to required animal tests.
CUSTOMER CARE
Toll Free 1.888.MERCIER (1-888-637-2437)
I have found that if a company says "unless required by the government" it usually means at some point their products have been tested on animals. Also, in the USA the FDA does not require animal testing for cosmetics, so when they say "unless required by law," which law are they referring to? As you might be aware of, China requires animal testing on cosmetic products. They did not clarify if they sell in China, so I emailed them again.
As you can see Laura Mercier is not cruelty-free. At least not 100%. (Note: It's almost impossible to say a company is 100% cruelty-free). However, because they are sold in China they do not meet my personal criteria for determining the cruelty-free status of a company. (For my criteria click here.)
We oppose animal testing and our products are not tested on animals unless required by government regulations. We actively lead initiatives to create alternatives to required animal tests. Currently our products are available in China.
Also, I found that Laura Mercier is manufactured by Gurwitch Products, which also sells in China.
I hope you found this information helpful. If you have any questions or comments please let me know.
Until Next Time,
Camila
Saturday, April 27, 2013
comapnies
The one's I haven't heard from/still need to contact:I will be checking each off, once I have posted my correspondence. You don't have to read through them. You can if you want to, you might spot some I missed. Feel free to let me know. Comment below of email me at ca.alva@yahoo.com
Drug-Store:
4. Estee Lauder
5. Hard Candy
9. Neutrogena
10. Yes to Carrots
12. Milani
13. Jordana
15. LA Colors
16. Sleek Makeup
High-End:
2. Lorac
3. Bobbi Brown
4. Laura Mercier
5. Lancome
6.Nars
7. Dior
8. Chanel
9. Makeup Forever
ETC.. There are so many I could list. These are just the most well known.
--Camila A. ☼
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Desert Essence
Hey guys. I know it's been a while, but honestly school has taken over my life. Also, it often takes days for companies to reply to my inquiries. Then, even when they do, some don't answer all my questions and I have to contact them once again. It's all a mission, but I truly enjoy it. :)
On my hiatus I was able to contact Desert Essence. If you have never heard of Desert Essence, they sell body products which range from: skin care, bath & body products, oils, hair care, dental care, baby products, and even some organic products. I thought it would be good to research them, as I know among all things in the beauty world, finding a good skin and body company is very difficult.
I emailed them using the template I always use. Which I first saw on VeggieBeauty's blog. (Check out her blog, it is sooo useful). Here is what it looks like:
To Whomever it May Concern:
I am doing research on animal testing, and I need to verify a few key points about your company.
1. Does your company test ingredients or finished products on animals?
2. Do you test ingredients or products on animals through a 3rd party?
3. Do your manufacturers test ingredients or products on animals?
4. Are you owned or affliliated with any companies that test products or ingredients on animals?
5. 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?
6. Do you use palm oil/carnuaba wax in any of your products? If so, is it from an organic and sustainable source?
Thank you so much for the information and your time.
Also, note that any correspondence I receive will be published on
humanelychic.blogspot.com, which is a privately owned blog.
-Camila
I received a reply from them about 2-3 days later. Which said the following:
Hello Camila,
Thank you for writing to us with your question. One of our brand’s core values is that animals are part of Nature and are to be valued and protected. We absolutely do not believe in animal testing. We do not do it, nor do we allow any third party to do so on our behalf. We advise all our ingredient suppliers of our practice, and will only buy cruelty free ingredients. Our company is not associated with any that conducts animal testing.
Some of our products contain palm oil. We look to use sustainable palm oil when we can. For example, earlier this year, we launched 3 soap bars with sustainable palm oil (RESPO certified).
We do not sell our product in China.
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Best Regards,
Desert Essence Customer Care
P.O. Box 14007
Hauppauge, NY 11788
+ Email: CustomerCare@DesertEssence.comü Visit us on the web at www.DesertEssence.comP Please consider the environment before printing this email.
As you can see from the reply, they answered all my questions (even the China one; which they usually avoid)! I also enjoyed the tone of the email compared to replies I receive from big brand named companies, such as MAC, Estee Lauder, and L'oreal. Which often include pages and pages of how they have been making an effort to end animal testing since 1990-something. I truly appreciate the companies that get to the point.
As you might know if you've been following my blog for a while now (if you're new WELCOME) I have three elements I use to determine if a company is 100% cruelty-free.
1. I look at their parent company. I do not believe in supporting a brand which is under a big company that does not necessarily also have a 100% cruelty-free status. In those cases, you often don't know where your money is going. Often, it might be funding animal testing.
2. I look at the suppliers of the company's raw ingredients. Companies I consider to be 100% cruelty-free will have verified that they make sure the manufcatures of the raw ingredients comply. They are often also accredited by an animal rights organization such as PETA or LeapingBunny. This just gives me more reassurance that the suppliers are also cruelty-free.3. I look to see if the products are sold in China. I do these, because for cosmetic products to be sold in the Chinese market cosmetic companies must test their products on animals. Meaning, that if a company sells it's products in that market it cannot be cruelty-free. [Disclaimer: Although I ask about vegan products, I do not use that criteria exclusively to determine whether a company is cruelty-free. I just do it for the convenience of my vegan friends. :) ]
As you can see from my correspondence with Desert Essence they meet all of the criteria!!! Also, just to be on the safe side, they are also on Leaping Bunny's cruelty-free list.
I hope this was helpful! I'm trying to keep my posts quick, so I can get to the point without going on a tangent. Please let me know if you prefer that method. Also, what do you think about my correspondence? Let me know. :)
If you are interested in their products, I actually posted a review on my beauty blog about their "Throughly Clean Face Wash-for oily combination skin." Click the link if you're interested.
Until Next Time,
Camila
Friday, April 5, 2013
Tips for Loose Dogs/Cats (others)
Hey Guys.
I have something different for you today. This Spring break has been one of dogs for me. I have had two encounters with loose dogs and decided to share some tips with you, if you ever find yourself in that situation. I know it can be stressful & you might not know what to do. However, I do urge you to do something. We often wait for others to take the lead, but often others are waiting for you to take the lead. Before, I go on a tangent, let's get to the tips.
1. Be sure to RIGHT NOW add your city's "animal control" or "animal shelter" number to you cellphone! I know you have the time and the room on your contacts!
I have something different for you today. This Spring break has been one of dogs for me. I have had two encounters with loose dogs and decided to share some tips with you, if you ever find yourself in that situation. I know it can be stressful & you might not know what to do. However, I do urge you to do something. We often wait for others to take the lead, but often others are waiting for you to take the lead. Before, I go on a tangent, let's get to the tips.
1. Be sure to RIGHT NOW add your city's "animal control" or "animal shelter" number to you cellphone! I know you have the time and the room on your contacts!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
theBalm
UPDATE: (August 8, 2013):
Hey guys!
Do you guys remember my post of theBalm? I was excited to learn that they are cruelty-free! However, I really urged them to become certified by either PETA or LeapingBunny. Which, I sure you can agree with me, would make shopping SOO much easier! Well, have exciting news!!
Today, I emailed them urging them to take a look at the comments of that post! THis is what I said:
Hello [I've omitted any names],I emailed you back in March about your cruelty-free status. Being an animal lover, I was so thrilled to find that theBalm is cruelty-free! I even wrote an article on my blog. I have emailed you guys before urging you to become accredited by PETA or leapingbunny. I would like you to take a look at my article and read the comments. You will find that when a company is accredited it makes it soooo much easier to shop. I'm not the only one who thinks so. I love your company! Especially because you stand up for the furry ones, but not everyone knows that. Please consider it.
They emailed me back! Take a look for yourself:
Hi Camila, Thank you for reaching out again! We completely understand you concerns and are working to become part of the Leaping Bunning list. If I can help answer any further questions, please let me know.
How exciting is this!!!???? I am beyond thrilled! This is a huge milestone! I can't wait to hear back from them once (fingers crossed) they become certified. Which, like I've mentioned before, just because a company is not on a list it DOES NOT mean they aren't cruelty-free. However, it does make life easier for the cruelty-free community!
Lots of Love,
Camila
Hey guys.
Sometime around the last week of February I began contacting theBalm. theBalm is becoming very popular in the beauty-community. Their products range from lips, face, eyes, etc. If you are a beauty enthusiats, I'm sure you are similar with them.
Of course, I felt inclined to look into their cruelty-free status.
I had little knowledge about them, before beginning my research.
First, they are not on LeapingBunny's nor PETA's list. Which is frustrating! I feel more confident purchasing from a company that has an accredited organization that verifies said company's status. However, that is not to say that companies who are not on a well-known list are not cruelty-free. What it does mean, at least for me, is to be more cautious. Especially if I were to add them to my cruelty-free list. I urge those uncertified companies to get certified. (Note: Not all companies on either LeapingBunny's or PETA's list are 100% cruelty-free!)
Anyway, I contacted them with this email. I use the template developed by VeggieBeauty. It's clear and gets to the point, which I like.
To Whomever it May Concern:
I am doing research on animal testing, and I need to verify a few key points about your company.
1. Does your company test ingredients or finished products on animals?About five days later, I received this email back:
2. Do you test ingredients or products on animals through a 3rd party?
3. Do your manufacturers test ingredients or products on animals?
4. Are you owned or affiliated with any companies that test products or ingredients on animals?
5. 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?
6. Do you use palm oil/carnuaba wax in any of your products? If so, is it from an organic and sustainable source?
Thank you so much for the information and your time.
Also, note that any correspondence I receive will be published on humanelychic.blogspot.com, which is a privately owned blog.
-Camila Alvarez
Hi Camila,
Thanks for your email. We do not test our products on animals, suppliers of raw materials used in our products certified that they have not been tested on animals since December 31, 1990 and our products have not been tested on animals. Our line of cosmetics is not considered a vegan line as some of our ingredients may have animal byproducts (such as bees wax or carmine) but do not contain any ruminant extracts or derivatives.
Distributors of theBalm Cosmetics from all over the world do not test our products on animals.
We hope this answers your questions.
Thank you,
[I've omitted any names]As you can see, they basically evaded the China question. This is where being certified by an organization is helpful. I know LeapingBunny checks out the suppliers of the raw-ingredients to make sure they are 100% cruelty-free. As for me, I can't do much when it comes to that. I could ask who their raw suppliers are, but most companies are not eager to give that information out. I like to ask if their products are vegan, even though I am not vegan.
theBalm
Feeling unsatisfied with this email, I emailed them back:
Hi [name],Thank you for replying so quickly, I truly appreciate it. I just have one more question. Does theBalm sell in China. I don't mean online, but in a store. I'm sure you are aware of China's strict, animal testing policies.Their reply a few days later:
Thank you!Camila
Camila,
Camila,Excuse, the Camila, Camila thing. I seriously just noticed that. I didn't change the email. Anyway, well as you can see that theBalm does not retail in China. Which is very good!
We currently have 0 vendors in China and no current plans to expand into their market. Let me know if you have any more questions!
[name omitted]theBalm
I later emailed theBalm back to urge them to become certified my an accredited organization and asking about their parent company.
Hello [name omitted],
I truly appreciate your cooperation with me on these emails. I wonder why theBalm does not become certified my LeapingBunny or PETA. I know, the market of people who only shop cruelty-free would really appreciate it. It just helps the costumer feel secure about their purchase. Please, give the idea some consideration. Lastly, is theBalm owned my a parent company or does it have a private CEO?
Thank you!CamilaThey replied quickly saying the following:
Hi Camila,As you can see, the representative who answered my email completely evaded the becoming certified question. I did appreciate them responding to the parent company question. They are "privately owned"which is encouraging. If they had a parent company, I would certainly look into the parent companies animal testing status as well. As you know, I do not consider companies that claim to be cruelty-free, but are owned my parent companies who are not cruelty-free to be 100% cruelty-free. I do not settle for 50%, 80%, nor 99%, when it comes to using animals as lab subjects! I've emailed them back to ask about them becoming accredited, hopefully they do not evade my question again. I will keep you updated!!!
theBalm is a privately owned company. Have a nice week!
[name omitted]
Summarizing:
theBalm
- Is not owned by a parent company.
- They do not test their raw ingredients, nor their final products on animals.
- They do not have vendors in China, and do not have plans to go there any time soon.
- They are not certified by PETA or LeapingBunny.
- (I have urged them to become accredited, however if they do not, it does not mean they are not 100% cruelty-free!, I will keep you guys updated)
- I just don't see why they don't.
If you have a question about anything I have mentioned above, feel free to ask me in the comment section below.
Please let me know if you think it's a good idea for companies to become certified by an animal rights organization? Don't you think that would make the going cruelty-free process easier for people?
Until Next Time,
Camila
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