"Cruelty Free Products - Clarins not guaranteeing"

A review of Clarins UK Ltd by Dr Cheryl Mvula written on Tuesday 2nd of March 2010

I have just received the email response below from Clarins re my earlier posting on the subject of cruelty free products. Their email address doesn't allow me to reply so I am replying here under their response.

Dear Ms Mvula

Thank you for taking the time to email Clarins (UK) Ltd.

Since 1988 the only tests that Clarins conduct during the development and manufacture of our products are on human volunteers and tissue cultures which replicate the structure of the human skin and eye. Clarins has also not used ingredients of animal origin in its products since this date.

The ingredients we use are purchased from specialist suppliers who produce a safety file, conforming to European regulations, for each raw ingredient they sell. We will always request a copy of this documentation to ensure that an ingredient is safe to use for cosmetic purposes, but at no time do we demand or commission animal tests.

In view of this I hope that you will enjoy the benefits of Clarins products for many years and should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

With kind regards.

Customer Relations

Clarins (UK) Ltd

Dear Clarins Customer Service,

Thanks for your reply.

I understand that you do not yourself demand or commission tests on animals.

However so that we as the general public can be sure that the Clarins products we purchase are truely cruelty free it is not sufficient for a company to claim to simply not animal test. The company must:-

- No longer conduct or commission animal tests

- Not purchase from suppliers ingredients that have been animal tested after a fixed cut-off date

- Verify the strict implementation of their fixed cut-off date with supplier assurances

- Submit to an independent audit

Adopting a fixed cut-off date would mean that Clarins will not buy finished products or ingredients (from suppliers) that have been animal tested after a fixed date e.g.: 1988. This rule draws a clear line under animal testing, and is the only method by which you can send a clear message to your suppliers and consumers alike that Clarins is not prepared to profit from laboratory animal suffering. If a company does not use a fixed cut-off date for the ingredients it buys (even if it claims not to test on animals itself as you do), it may still profit from animal suffering because it is continuing to buy ingredients that may have been animal tested and it helps to perpetuate the market for animal tested ingredients.

I do hope this helps to explain mine and other peoples concerns re Clarins products.

I would like to encourage you to adopt a Fixed Cut-Off date policy and to apply to join the Standard. It would be great to have you do this so that I can once again resume buying Clarins products as I have done previously. Until then I'm afarid that I can't as I would not wish to use cosmetics that I have no guarentee are cruelty free.

Let me know if you have any further questions and if Clarins are prepared to adopt a Fixed Cut-Off date policy.

Kind regards,

Dr Cheryl Mvula

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