MaryK
Honored Member
Just recently I started to sell Avon as a rep, with a view to building a home based business. As I had previously sold Avon some time back, I did not check to ensure that they were still cruelty free, assuming (dangerous grounds I know) that Avon's products were still listed on PETA and other such sites as a 'NOT' tested on animals. This has changed and they are now listed under the companies which DO allow animal testing on PETA and other such sites.
It therefore can as a most unpleasant shock, when phoning a potentially new customer given to me by my superior, to find that she had been an Avon Customer but now would no longer purchase Avon products due to the fact that they were tested on animals.
Shaken and alarmed, my partner and I googled, and found to our horror that yes Avon, whilst not strictly testing on animals themselves, did 'when it was the law of the country' allow their products to be tested on animals.
The main country in question is China - where it is MANDATORY that any products i.e. skin care, shampoo, perfume, make up etc. MUST first be tested on animals before it is allowed to be sold in China.
On ringing my District Sales Manager, I was told that 'Avon do not test on animals and I could catagorically and confidently tell my customer this fact! And that she, along with other senior personnel, had received a directive from Avon to this fact. She also referred me to the official Avon site for further 'proof'. And went into very lengthy detail about how Avon would be breaking the law etc. if they claimed to 'not test on animals', further, that all their training material stated clearly that they did not test on animals.
Both my partner and I went to the site and found, not surprisingly, quite a good deal about how and with whom Avon worked for the benefit of not only animals but women and cancer patients. All very nice and guaranteed to give you a 'nice warm fuzzy feeling' and stop you reading further through the very lengthy site. It prints out to three A4 pages.
However if you DID read through and take the trouble to analyze what they say further down in answer to the F.A.Q. section regarding Animal Testing, it's plain that whilst not 'requesting' (their word) animals testing they do 'within the laws of the country' (or similar wording I do not have it in front of me right now) allow animal testing. No direct mention is made of specific countries, Avon feels this wouldn't be quite ethical (my words) but nevertheless, for a company which trumpets loud and lustily about how much it cares for the treatment of animals, to allow their products to be sold in a country where animal testing is MANDATORY is to me, totally UNETHICAL! And to further support this they claim that to 'abandon' (their word) these countries wouldn't help, rather it's best to work 'from within' to change the laws.
As China is one of Avon's biggest markets, and it's well known that the Asian markets, especially China, are desperate to sell Euorpean/USA goods to their ever growing middle class/ wealthy public, then surely I am not wrong in thinking that, rather than trade and thereby submit to their heinous Law, it would be better to refuse, clearly stating why, thereby hitting them were it hurts most 'in the hip pocket'.
Avon have good spin doctors and to me I do not care where it is happening, but if an animal is being abused and mistreated for the sake of profit (or any other reason) then no matter how 'warm and fuzzy' the number of awards a company has won for it's 'good deeds' may appear, morally and ethically it is still wrong to sell in a market which states quite clearly that any company wishing to do so is legally obligated to have all products on tested on animals. By agreeing to this Law, in my opinion, that company is perpetuating the crime of testing on animals.
I have, needless to say, resigned from Avon and am now winding up my Avon business.
I would be very interested to know if there are others who have either bought or sold Avon products and been told that they do not test on Animals. And further what the thoughts of members on this forum are with regards to a company (and Avon are NOT alone in this matter) who, whilst claiming to not test on animals per se, are in fact selling their products in countries which, in the case of China, DO have a law which stipulates that ALL consumer products MUST be tested first on animals before a license in granted for the sale of same.
It therefore can as a most unpleasant shock, when phoning a potentially new customer given to me by my superior, to find that she had been an Avon Customer but now would no longer purchase Avon products due to the fact that they were tested on animals.
Shaken and alarmed, my partner and I googled, and found to our horror that yes Avon, whilst not strictly testing on animals themselves, did 'when it was the law of the country' allow their products to be tested on animals.
The main country in question is China - where it is MANDATORY that any products i.e. skin care, shampoo, perfume, make up etc. MUST first be tested on animals before it is allowed to be sold in China.
On ringing my District Sales Manager, I was told that 'Avon do not test on animals and I could catagorically and confidently tell my customer this fact! And that she, along with other senior personnel, had received a directive from Avon to this fact. She also referred me to the official Avon site for further 'proof'. And went into very lengthy detail about how Avon would be breaking the law etc. if they claimed to 'not test on animals', further, that all their training material stated clearly that they did not test on animals.
Both my partner and I went to the site and found, not surprisingly, quite a good deal about how and with whom Avon worked for the benefit of not only animals but women and cancer patients. All very nice and guaranteed to give you a 'nice warm fuzzy feeling' and stop you reading further through the very lengthy site. It prints out to three A4 pages.
However if you DID read through and take the trouble to analyze what they say further down in answer to the F.A.Q. section regarding Animal Testing, it's plain that whilst not 'requesting' (their word) animals testing they do 'within the laws of the country' (or similar wording I do not have it in front of me right now) allow animal testing. No direct mention is made of specific countries, Avon feels this wouldn't be quite ethical (my words) but nevertheless, for a company which trumpets loud and lustily about how much it cares for the treatment of animals, to allow their products to be sold in a country where animal testing is MANDATORY is to me, totally UNETHICAL! And to further support this they claim that to 'abandon' (their word) these countries wouldn't help, rather it's best to work 'from within' to change the laws.
As China is one of Avon's biggest markets, and it's well known that the Asian markets, especially China, are desperate to sell Euorpean/USA goods to their ever growing middle class/ wealthy public, then surely I am not wrong in thinking that, rather than trade and thereby submit to their heinous Law, it would be better to refuse, clearly stating why, thereby hitting them were it hurts most 'in the hip pocket'.
Avon have good spin doctors and to me I do not care where it is happening, but if an animal is being abused and mistreated for the sake of profit (or any other reason) then no matter how 'warm and fuzzy' the number of awards a company has won for it's 'good deeds' may appear, morally and ethically it is still wrong to sell in a market which states quite clearly that any company wishing to do so is legally obligated to have all products on tested on animals. By agreeing to this Law, in my opinion, that company is perpetuating the crime of testing on animals.
I have, needless to say, resigned from Avon and am now winding up my Avon business.
I would be very interested to know if there are others who have either bought or sold Avon products and been told that they do not test on Animals. And further what the thoughts of members on this forum are with regards to a company (and Avon are NOT alone in this matter) who, whilst claiming to not test on animals per se, are in fact selling their products in countries which, in the case of China, DO have a law which stipulates that ALL consumer products MUST be tested first on animals before a license in granted for the sale of same.