For one, purchasing cruelty-free products and boycotting brands who test on animals is a no-brainer if you want change, but there's something else you can do that can have a huge impact.
I'm talking about reaching out to brands who test on animals to voice your opposition. Let them know how you truly feel about animal testing, and most importantly, tell them that you won't be purchasing their products as long as they still test on animals anywhere in the world.
Companies are driven by profit, and the more consumers clearly state that they won't be purchasing from them as long as they don't go cruelty-free, the more chances we have for them to listen.
As an example, at the end of 2015, the luxury skincare brand Omorovicza opened stores in mainland China (where, as you know, animal testing is mandatory by law). A year later, the brand pulled out of China issuing a statement that they chose to return to their cruelty-free policy after hearing from their disappointed customers.
This shows us how powerful our actions can be when we each do our little part. To make this easier, I've created a template you can use. You're encouraged to modify this template and add your own voice, but you're also welcome to use it as it is.
Template For Brands
"Subject: Stop funding animal testing!
As a loyal customer for years, I was shocked to learn that your brand tests on animals. I believe that animal testing is cruel and unnecessary, and that beauty brands should no longer rely on this outdated practice when there are better and more accurate alternatives to test cosmetics for safety.
I'm aware that governments such as China require animal testing. As long as you will be funding animal testing in China, or anywhere in the world, I will no longer purchase your products.
I urge you to take the necessary steps to regain your cruelty-free status, either by pulling out of China or by ceasing any animal testing.
Until then, I will no longer be purchasing your products, and I will share this disturbing information with everyone I know."
Who to contact and how?
Since you don't want your email to be ignored, make sure you contact someone who's higher up. One way of reaching out is through email, but you might need to find the contact information for the brand's CEO. Another way is to send a real letter to the company's headquarters (this might be more time-consuming but it's effective).
Once again, in the hopes of making this process as easy as possible for you, I've scoured the internet to find this information for the most popular brands out there.
Estée Lauder Brands (MAC, Clinique, and more)
If you want to contact all (or one) of the following brands, which are owned by Estée Lauder:
- Estée Lauder
- MAC
- Bobbi Brown
- Clinique
- Glamglow
- Origins
- Tom Ford
The CEO is Fabrizio Freda, and the email I could find is ffreda@estee.com.
To send a letter, Estée Lauder's headquarters are located at:
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
767 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10153
Tel: 212-572-4200
L'Oréal Brands (MAC, Clinique, and more)
If you want to contact one of the following brands (also keep in mind that L'Oréal owns over 40 beauty brands):
- L'Oréal
- Lancome
- Maybelline
- Garnier
- Kielh's
- YSL
- Essie
- Shu Uemura
- Vichy
The CEO is Jean-Paul Agon, and the email I found is jeanpaul.agon@loreal.com.
To send a letter, their headquarters are located at:
L'Oréal
10 Hudson Yards
New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 818-1500
What about other brands?
I suggest your perform a Google search to find the headquarters of your brand or the email of a person in charge. Whatever you do, I don't suggest you use the customer service contact email they usually publish on their contact page. You can however use that email to ask them for the address of their headquarters.
If you have trouble finding an email or address, leave me a comment and tell me which brand you'd like to contact. I'll do my best to help!
I hope this post will encourage as many of you as possible to contact your favorite brands, and hopefully we can make a difference together! Remember that every action counts, no matter how small.
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Suzanna thank you for this info. I will be emailing and/or mailing cosmetic companies. I my book I don’t believe in supporting any brand that has anything to do with animal testing even if the brand doesn’t but their parent company does or selling anything they own in China.
You are just amazing! Thank you so much for this information including the email addresses, I did it right away (Plus, sent it over to my friends to do the same) will do some more research for other brands and their contact details. I have been a long lover of the Loreal Telescopic Mascara, although I am not purchasing that anymore for a long time, I still have not been able to find anything similar to it. Maybe by any chance, someone here has?
Much love!
Hello! I was just wondering what the contact information or CEO address from Benefit Cosmetics is? It would be a great help if I could contact them to explain why they should go cruelty-free. Thank you so much for being an advocate for cruelty-free ideologies and stay lovely! <3
I sent The above template to Nars, as there has been much back and forth regarding their status as cruelty free since their expansion into China. I received The below response:
Dear Meredith,
We share your concerns about animal testing. NARS does not test on animals and we firmly believe that product and ingredient safety can be proven by non-animal methods.
However, we are subject to the local laws of the markets where we operate, including in China where products are still subject to animal testing.
NARS has fans around the world who are very eager for the brand’s bold style and artistry, and we launched in China this year as part of the brand’s long-held commitment to embrace and empower women and men everywhere.
We are encouraged by recent advancements around alternative testing methods and the great work IIVS is doing, and we hope to see the global elimination of animal testing soon.
Thank you,
Annalisa
NARS Headquarters
In my opinion, empowering men and women everywhere is not worth the suffering of countless innocent creatures. So I will Choose to forgo supporting Nars, a company which I did Support for many years, as they are choosing expansion and profit over compassion and ethics.
How can I contact benefit?
Thank you x
I think everyone can come together and help stop animal testing. Just because they don’t have a voice, doesn’t mean they can’t be heard.
Thank you Susie. Your information,as well as PETA’s have helped me stop buying all products that are not cruelty-free and replace them with ones that are.
Great idea! I’ve just sent e-mails 🙂
Hi, Miss Suzi! Thank you so much for taking the time to research all of this contact info! I will most definitely be sending a strongly worded email to NARS about their unethical and cruel choices. Again, thank you so much for this post full of valuable information 🙂
This is a great idea, and really timely given NARS have decided to take a backstep and move into the Chinese market. I would like to believe that if enough people tell NARS they’re unhappy and stop buying their products that they will reverse their decision, though I’m convinced given their response on Instagram. Still, I will try.
How can I contact NARS? It was a favourite brand of mine. Now they’ve decided to sell in China… shame on Francois!
bcalcagni@narscosmetics.com
I agree this is a wonderful idea, but I’m not really convinced it will have much of an impact. I’m sure the person that manages the emails for these CEO’s are most likely told to delete any and all emails pertaining to the CF issue. The giants like estee lauder and loreal still make big bucks because millions of people that aren’t concerned with how those poor creatures are tortured, still buy their products. So they really aren’t concerned with those of us that do care. We are definitely the minority in this. Doing this makes us feel that we are trying to make a difference, and sometimes we do but mostly we don’t. Our concerns are disregarded with a touch of the delete button. Sorry to be such a debbie downer, and I will send these emails too, I’m just not confident that it will make much of a difference. These poor creatures have no choice, voice or way to refuse. They are at the whims of these terrible people that only see $$.Their screams are only heard by the savages doing these horrific atrocities to them, all they know is fear and pain, unimaginable agony until they finally, mercifully die, and they are quickly replaced by the next doomed soul. They are helpless and hopeless against these soulless torturers. There is no compassion in them at all. They are as cold and unfeeling as the monsters that treat “food animals” so horribly.I will continue to be their voice, as I always have, but until people learn compassion and empathy, and actually open their eyes and their hearts to see that these poor creatures have the capacity to feel fear and pain, that they are living breathing beings that mean no harm that is sharing this earth with us, the innocents will continue to suffer.
This is a great idea, thank you so much! I used most of your template, but since I wanted them to know that I’ve been avoiding their products for years, I edited it a little.
Here’s my letter:
I was a loyal customer for years, but I stopped buying your products when I discovered that your brand tests on animals. I believe that animal testing is cruel and unnecessary, and that your brand should no longer reply on this outdated practice when there are better and more accurate alternatives to test cosmetics for safety.
I’m aware that governments such as China require animal testing. As long as you will be funding animal testing in China, or anywhere in the world, I will keep looking for cruelty free companies and telling everyone not to purchase your products.
I urge you to take the necessary steps to regain your cruelty-free status, either by pulling out of China or by ceasing any animal testing.
Until then, I will keep on avoiding your products, and sharing this disturbing information with everyone I know (I already started with my teenage daughter and her friends).”
Sincerely,
I did this many times in the mid-00s when a lot of clothing companies began using fur, and I got many replies that were tailored to the issue — saying things like “we realize fur is an important issue for many consumers and we are tracking responses from our customers.” Some stopped using fur soon thereafter. It really can make a difference. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to send an email. Most companies have “contact us” forms on their websites. Even if it doesn’t change anything, at least you tried. You can do something or do nothing… you might as well do something.
I am going to do this as soon as I get home from work today. Thank you!
Thank you Suzi!
This is a great post! There are a few brands that it KILLS me that they test on animals. The one that gets me the most is MUFE. As a working artist and one that admires quality, innovation, and inclusiveness, it drives me absolutely crazy that this brand that is so wonderful in other ways, tests on animals. It would be nice if MAC didn’t as well, but maybe I’ve just been cruelty free for so long that I have just written off the other companies…HOLD UP, untrue. There needs to be more hair care and skin care that leave the dark side. Thanks again for this post,
This is such a great way to help make a positive impact. All of my favorite brands that i use are already cruelty free 🙂
I agree with Melodie, this is such a great post. I have messaged companies previously to ask about their animal testing policy but never to purely express my opinion. The only time I did that was when I found out about disgraceful treatment of pigs and cows in a certain slaughter company in the U.S.
Maybe I should do the same with beauty companies!
http://milenakrecisz.com
Great initiative on contacting that company!
That is such an amazing post Suzi thank you! I’m definitely going to shoot an email or two! Wonderful idea and great way tot motivate people to take actions, you’re awesome! xo
Melodie
http://www.happymelodie.com
Hey Melodie, thank you so much for joining in! 🙂