On Monday, this “Animal Research Beagles” video made the rounds (thanks, Lucky).
It got me to thinking about how many of the products we purchase and consume are a result of direct, or indirect, testing on our four legged friends. Since I can’t leave well enough alone, I began to hunt, online (of course), for a comprehensive list of companies that are still involved in a practice that should be on its way out. Color me surprised! The list has actually grown since the last time I got myself all worked up about this topic.
Products I purchased solely because I believed they were cruelty free (Dove soap and shampoo products, Colgate toothpaste, as well as Neutrogena face cream and Vaseline Body Cream), had inexplicably been added to the ever-growing diary of, what I consider, animal cruelty. The number of items continues to increase as I tackle each section of my home.
Let’s get a few things out of the way. I am not a card carrying PETA member. My shoes are not made from twigs and I even enjoy a good burger every once in a while. Some of my shoes are leather and so is my car interior. Does this make me a hypocrite? Maybe, but I prefer to look at it as realistic, instead. When most of us are honest with ourselves, we realize that there is very little chance that we will give up all these items of convenience and revamp our existence to fit the “radical animal rights” fingerprint. Just imagine life without bacon! Didn’t think so….
In my book, it’s always better to do something than nothing at all. So, in this spirit, I’ve put together a fairly comprehensive list of products and companies that you should consider staying away from if that Beagle video brought you to tears. Please keep in mind that not ALL of these test directly on animals. Some of them, like Neutrogena, are cruelty-free. The hitch? They are now owned by Johnson&Johnson, which is not. An easy company to start with is Procter&Gamble, the kings of animal testing. We have completely eliminated anything P&G from our home without too much trouble. It’s amazing how easy it is to turn over that bottle of floor cleaner or laundry detergent, look for the manufacturer, and put it back on the shelf. This is ‘MURICA. We have lots of choices.
You don’t have to spend any more money or eliminate anything from your stuff-laden lives, you just need to put a little more thought into how you are spending your hard-earned dollars. You don’t even have to do the research. I’ve done most of it for you. Now, go forth, check your cabinets and PLEASE ADD USEFUL ALTERNATIVES OR PRODUCTS I’VE MISSED to the comments. Any cruelty-free websites for holiday shopping will earn you extra brownie points.
You’re welcome and Happy Holidays.
- Large Companies and SOME of their products/subsidiaries:
- Procter&Gamble– Bounty, Braun, Charmin, Crest, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Gain, Gillette, Iams, Olay, Pampers, Oral-B, Tide, Clairol, Cover Girl, Eukanuba, Natura Pet Products, Pepto, Tampax, Gucci and D&G Fragrances.
- Unilever– Axe, Dove, Vaseline, Ponds, Signal, Suave, Lipton, Hellmann’s, Ben&Jerry’s, VO5, Qtips.
- Johnson&Johnson– Acuvue, Aveeno, Band-Aid, K.Y., Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rogaine, Stayfree.
- SC Johnson– Drano, Edge, Ever Clean, Glade, Oust, Pledge, Raid, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Windex, Ziploc.
- Kimberly-Clark– Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Depend, Scott, Viva, Cottonelle.
- Church & Dwight– Aim, Arm&Hammer, Arrid, First Response, Kaboom, Nair, Orajel, OxiClean, Scrub-Free, Trojans.
- Reckitt Benckiser– Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Lysol, Air Wick, Clearasil, French’s.
- GlaxoSmithKline– Aquafresh, Beano, Citrucel, Massengill, Nicoderm, Nicorette.
- 3M-Scotch Tape, Post-Its, Thinsulate.
- Clorox– Brita, Burt’s Bees, 409, Glad, Pine-Sol, Tilex, Kingsford Charcoal, Hidden Valley Ranch.
- Avon Products– Too many to list.
- Bic Corp– Products include: lighters, razors, pens, water sports.
- L’Oreal– Cacharel, Garnier, Kiehl’s, Lancôme, Maybelline, Redken.
- Pfizer– Chapstick, Viagra, Advil, Anbesol, Lipitor.
- Colgate-Palmolive– Ajax, Colgate, Fab, Hill’s Science Diet, Irish Spring, Softsoap, Tom’s of Maine.
- Dial Corp– Dial, Coast, Purex, Renuzit, Right Guard, Soft Scrub.
- Shiseido Cosmetics
For a complete list, please go here
Video- courtesy Beagle Freedom Project
Header photo-courtesy casecares.blogspot.com
Statistics and Companies- courtesy PETA.org and Vegetariansite.com
