Hello guys.
So I've been hearing that Google with Friends, which is how most of you follow me, is being eliminated within days. I've heard many bloggers talk about this. I honestly didn't pay it much attention at first, but as the day approaches, I want to let you all know. The best solution I have found is to join bloglovin'. If you've never heard of bloglovin', it's a site where you can keep track of all the blogs your heart desires. It will update you when I post. If you wish to continue following me please head over HERE or click on the blog lovin' button to your right. I hope to see you all there!!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Humanely Chic on Facebook
Hello guys!
I wanted to create a page where I could communicate more quickly with you all; to share news and updates. Like it, if you'd like. (See what I did there ; P ) Feel free to ask me questions, share with me your concerns, what you have heard back from companies, etc. I want it to be a place where we can interact efficiently. (Just click on the pic)
I wanted to create a page where I could communicate more quickly with you all; to share news and updates. Like it, if you'd like. (See what I did there ; P ) Feel free to ask me questions, share with me your concerns, what you have heard back from companies, etc. I want it to be a place where we can interact efficiently. (Just click on the pic)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Zoya, Qtica, Smart Spa (Art of Beauty)
Anyways, I emailed them using the format I always use. (To see that format click on "How I Contact Companies").
I received this email a couple of days later:
Good morning!
No problem! We actually are known as Art of Beauty, and are the parent company and manufacturers of Zoya, Qtica, and Smart Spa and aren’t affiliated or owned further with any other companies. We are a cruelty free company and none of our products or ingredients are tested on animals nor do we use any 3rd party testing for our products. We don’t currently have any official distributors in China or sell there direct. Regarding the ingredients I will have to double check with the science department about those specific ones. I don’t have a specific product list of our vegan friendly products but the Zoya Nail Polish and Treatment line is entirely vegan friendly, and then the Zoya Hot Lips and the Qtica lines are not vegan friendly as some of the items use carmine, lanolin, or other animal based products. Hopefully this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and have a great day!
thank you,I appreciate the clarity of this email and that Zoya (Art of Beauty) addressed all my questions directly. Zoya's parent company is Art of Beauty where both Qtica and Smart Spa fall under. They affirm to the cruelty-free status of their raw ingredient providers, etc. Lastly, they do not retail in the Chinese market!
I'm excited to hear this news. If you shop cruelty-free only, I'm sure you are aware that finding high quality nail polish companies is difficult. However, I have emailed Art of Beauty back urging them to become affiliated with either Leaping Bunny or PETA. If Art of Beauty did this, first it reasures us that what the company claims is true and secondly, it makes it easier when shopping. I will update you guys once they email me back.
Personally, for now I would feel safe purchasing from Zoya, Otica, or Smart Spa. I will be adding them to my list.
Please let me know what YOU think about this correspondence. Leave me any feedback you'd like! I love hearing--reading?-- your opinions and addressing your concerns.
Until Next Time,
Camila
Saturday, June 8, 2013
UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!!
Hello guys! If you have noticed that this blog keeps changing, that is because it is!!! I'm remodeling it and can't seem to decide on what I want. All my posts should be working fine! I hope the constant change isn't too annoying. If it is, I'm sorry. :) I have a post on Benefit, ELF, & LimeCrime coming soon! :)
-Camila
-Camila
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
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