Animal Testing
Lately I’ve decided to try switching to animal testing free alternatives. I’ve found some of the answers I’ve been getting aren’t easily searched for. Most sites I found are US or UK based and don’t consider Canadian companies or brands and will often suggest brands which aren’t available here. I decided to look for easily locally-available alternatives by going to a physical store location, writing down the names of brands and then checking them online.
Toothpaste
Brands I found at Shopper’s Drug Mart: Aquafresh,Arm & Hammer, Colgate, Crest, Rembrandt, Sensodyne, Tom’s of Maine
My pick: Tom’s of Maine
Note: some sites are saying that Tom’s of Maine was bought up and their parent company is now Colgate-Palmolive (which currently appears on several animal testing lists). In light of this article and not having a better alternative locally this seems to be the best I can do.
Deodorant
Brands I found at Shopper’s Drug Mart: Adidas, Arm & Hammer, Axe, Gillette, Life Brand, Old Spice, Right Guard, Speed Stick
My pick: Life Brand
Note: Life Brand doesn’t appear on any animal testing lists I found or on any animal testing free lists. They simply don’t mention it. Life Brand is a store brand of Shopper’s Drug Mart. Their contact us link provides a form to ask questions. I asked “Are Life Brand products tested on animals?” and was given the following answer which appears not to be indexed by search engines. Yes, they switched “Are” with “Is”.
Your question:
Is Life Brand products tested on animals?Response:
In accordance with the generally recognized meaning of this term, the finished products are not tested on animals. At present and based on current information, Shoppers Drug Mart does not actively support or commission the testing of any Life Brand product in order to establish clinical support for safety, efficacy, or allergic reactions.
This phrase does not guarantee that the individual ingredients were not tested on animals. For new ingredients, testing is sometimes essential to determine that the ingredient is safe.
sabrina on 11 Aug 2009 at 2:31 am #
Hi Tim,
I found your blog while searching for Rexall’s parent company. I have also decided to boycott all companies that test on animals. I never realized how prevalent this practice was until the beginning of August. I’ve disposed 90% of my household products because of this. It all started with finding out what Johnson and Johnson did in order to test Splenda. It’s possible to replace what you have with an animal friendly product. Don’t use Tom of Maine… Colgate-Palmolive are the ones that bought them and that corporation is evil. I have switched to Jason. Visit LeapingBunny.org for more cruelty free companies. Here is a list of deodorants from their website.
Aubrey Organics, Inc., Avalon Natural Products, Belisama Bath & Body, Caswell Massey Co., Ltd., Crystal Body Deodorant, Deodorant Stones of America (DSA), Dermalogica
Florere, Inc., Irie Star, Kiss My Face, KZM Facial Care Boutique
Lip-Ink International, L’Occitane, Nature’s Gate, Neal’s Yard Remedies,NutriBiotic, Pristine Beauty, Queen Helene, Well In Hand
Please remember that companies will lie by omission by stating that their final product is not tested on animals but will not mention that they tested the product throughout the stages of development. They may also commission other companies to test their product or use suppliers that test on animals. If you can’t find an alternative contact me and I’ll find one for you. Thanks and good luck!
sabrina on 11 Aug 2009 at 2:42 am #
p.s.
If you are still having problems finding these products they are available online.
tim on 05 Sep 2009 at 9:10 pm #
Thank you for your comment. I have since discovered a store that is exactly what I was hoping for. Well.ca (a Canadian online drug store) has a “Green” section. In this section, it’s easy to search for natural products, organic products, and/or vegan products. The website address is: http://well.ca/green and they have free shipping to anywhere in Canada. Many of the products that can be found there are made by smaller, independent companies and specifically state in their description that they do not test on animals. I was delighted to find this because it does away with potentially expensive shipping charges and customs hassles/fees that happen with a lot of American companies. They stock several of the brands you mentioned.