Urban Decay are a brand that since their inception have flown the flag for cruelty free beauty advocates across the world. They were the first brand to clearly mark cosmetic products as vegan on their website and regularly turned down appearances in high end fashion shows due to the use of fur on the catwalk. They refused to donate funds to organisations that carried out animal testing and were an all round vocal supporter of animal rights. For the cruelty free consumer they were a dream. In the often murky and confusing world of animal testing, it can be difficult to guarantee that a company is being totally transparent about their animal testing policy, however Urban Decay have proudly displayed the leaping bunny logo on their products for years, which is the independent and trustworthy logo that guarantees a cruelty free brand.

Testing required in China by law

Within the UK and Europe, animal testing laws have improved greatly over the years, and although there is a long way to go until it is eradicated completely, animals certainly have more protection here than they do in other parts of the world. In China, for example, by law, all cosmetic products must undergo animal testing before being approved for sale. Considering the advances in animal testing alternatives, this is a completely backwards and unnecessary step, and has a profound impact not just on Chinese brands, but for any Western brand who wishes to enter the Chinese market.

Brands supporting animal testing?

Several previously cruelty free companies have recently made the decision to enter China, and in doing so have forfeited their cruelty free status in this country. Although the products which are on sale in stores here will not have been tested on animals, by allowing the Chinese government to conduct cruel (and ultimately fatal) tests on dogs, cats, rabbits, mice and rats in order to sell their products in China, the brands are essentially supporting the use of animal tests and are therefore no longer considered to be cruelty free.

Urban Decay one of many

Urban Decay recently made the announcement that they would be joining brands like Estee Lauder (including MAC), and Avon, and entering their products into the Chinese market. For fans of Urban Decay, this seems like the ultimate betrayal. As a brand whose entire ethos is based on being cruelty free, to suddenly announce that they are giving up their leaping bunny approval and allowing animal tests to be conducted on their products is just unthinkable.

The Urban Decay ‘statement’

Urban Decay released a statement explaining their actions which was later removed from their site. The statement contained glib comments and fluffy reasoning for their decision, which only served to fan the flames amongst the understandably upset former fans of the brand. Many took to Twitter to voice their anger at the decision, and the backlash for Urban Decay was enormous. Former champions of the brand, myself included, vowed to boycott them in protest at their actions, and due to their decision to enter into a financial agreement with the Chinese government, Urban Decay lost a staggering amount of support across Europe and Internationally.

Because of Urban Decay’s choice, hundreds of animals will die in the name of carrying out safety tests on products which are already being sold worldwide and have already been successfully tested using non animal alternatives. This is simply unacceptable.

In order to make real change, we need to make a stand. You can find out more about how to help end animal testing by visiting http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/

Photography: Little Debbie 11 @Flickr
+KarrisMcCulloch