Animal Testing: The Facts

Environ’s Policy and Philosophy

Animal testing of cosmetic products is an important and emotive subject. There is much controversy surrounding the testing of skin care and other beauty products – by many well-known brands – on animals. Scientific Director, Dr Des Fernandes and R&D Director, Pam Ellwood shed light on Environ Skin Care’s stand against animal testing and cruelty.

Do you test on animals?

“We have never tested and will never test on animals,” says Dr. Des Fernandes.
“Since 2004, the European Union has been phasing out animal testing – first the
testing of finished products, then the marketing of products and ingredients that
were tested on animals and, since March 2013, all animal testing on both
products and ingredients has been banned in the EU. The ingredients we use are
listed with Cosmetics Europe – The Personal Care Association and cannot be tested
on animals.”

Why, then, does Environ not have official cruelty-free or Leaping Bunny endorsement on its packaging?

“Environ Skin Care is an ethical global brand that complies legally with global
cosmetics regulations,” says Pam Ellwood. ‘As animal testing of cosmetics is now
an illegal activity, the claim ‘not tested on animals’ has been declared obsolete
under EU Cosmetic Products Regulation since 2014, so it is not permitted on
packaging. Since one of our most important markets is the European Union, we
ensure all our packaging is compliant with their regulations, which means we may
not carry any such endorsements on our packaging, as that would be illegal.”

How do you ensure your products are safe?

“Environ Skin Care products are tested on human animals only,” Dr. Fernandes
explains. “The first ‘guinea pig’ is always myself; I believe that since the
whole range represents my philosophy on the best way to treat skin, it should
firstly be shown to be safe by me from personal experience.

“Being scientifically trained, I make sure that I do not put anything toxic on
my skin – we use ingredients with known chemical properties, that have clinical
research to back them up, we don’t exceed recommended doses, and we make up
formulas with a 99.9 percent certainty that they won’t cause irritation. Once I
have tested the product for sufficient time and am satisfied that the formula is
stable, I send the product to a panel of volunteer testers. If we all agree that
the product feels good on the skin, then we do clinical tests, very often with
microscopic analysis by an independent pathology laboratory.”

How do you know that the companies from which you source raw materials are not testing on animals?

“We source our ingredients and raw materials only from countries and companies
that comply with the EU animal-testing regulation. We have to produce the
animal-testing status certification for all the ingredients in our products when
we register that product in the EU,” says Dr. Fernandes.

“However, it is important to understand that some of the ingredients nearly every
cosmetics company works with, including those listed with anti-cruelty
organisations, were tested on animals historically as part of medical
trials. For example, animal trials were done to test the effect of vitamins
decades ago. We use this knowledge today and vitamins are an important component
in most products as they are essential for keeping skin safe and healthy.”

What about selling your product in China? It is mandatory there to do animal testing on products and ingredients.

“We do not sell our products in China, therefore this legislation does not apply,”
Pam Ellwood explains. “Incidentally, there are changes afoot regarding the
Chinese legislation, and animal testing should no longer be a requirement for
imported products in the near future.”

Please sum up Environ’s philosophy.

“Environ Skin Care is an animal-friendly company led by directors who are great
supporters of the fight against cruelty to animals,” Dr. Fernandes says. “We can
assure you that not one product is tested on animals. In fact, we believe pets
may benefit from human research! If you have a white dog or cat, you’ll know that
they are susceptible to skin cancer especially on their ears – and you can help
your pets, as many have, by rubbing Environ Skin Care products onto their
vulnerable skin.”