Products

Products I Use on A Daily Basis

Tracking where my products came from was a little easier than my food. This was because I feel that there is such a big movement against people using animals for experiments. People seem to be more open to changing the products they use than their diet so there is a lot of information out there. This is not to say that there is not a big movement against animals as food but people seem to shy away from that topic. Again I can say that this is an area that I do not really bat my eye on as I am more set on the products I use. If it tend to be a body care product or makeup, if I like it I will continue to buy it. This is where I can say that I am more selfish and it would be really hard for me to change the products I like using. Even after finding out where some of the products I used come from I still think that while I am open to finding alternative it might take longer for me to switch over to cruelty- free products.

Organix 

One of the very first things I do every morning like a lot of people is take a shower. I use Organix shampoo range as I saw it on Peta's website a while back and was interested in trying the product. Since then when I was doing my research for this project I found out that Peta had removed the product from its list of cruelty-free products. The company still advertises their products as cruelty-free so I was curious onto why PETA no longer considers them cruelty- free. It turns out that Organix is sold in China where it is mandatory for all products to be tested on animals. They claim that they do not test on animals unless it is required by law. It really had me thinking on why is it okay for this company to continue to market their brand as cruelty-free when they clearly engage in animal testing even if they claim it is not what they believe in? If you believe in something shouldn't you stick to it even if it might not be 100% beneficial to you?

In this case, Organix can stop selling their products in China. Yes, they would lose millions of dollars but they would still hold on to the so-called values they have of cruelty-free and organic. This made me reflect on the time someone told me that I could not consider myself a Christian and a Feminist. My first reaction was why not? Because I believe in God I should not think I should be entitled to the same rights as men. Shouldn't Organix be able to be a multi-million dollar business and also be cruelty-free. A lot of people suggest that if you want to be successful you have to do things you might not believe in. When was this double standard set up from business? I am still left wondering why they are allowed to advertise themselves as a cruelty- free brand in America but not in China. It is like saying in American I will say I am a Christian and a Feminist but if I go to another country I would not. Some might say that this is not a fair comparison but to be ones values and beliefs should not change just because another place might think differently.

Claims to be Not Tested On Animals

My second product that I use on a daily basis is Colgate, my toothpaste. I was pretty sure that this product was tested on animals. I find that most big, commercial products that I come across are. I was right, Colgate does test on animals. They claim to be committed to working towards the elimination of laboratory safety using animals. Colgate states that they only use animals testing when it is mandated by law and that 99% of their products is tested on non-animal alternatives. If Colgate claims that they are only using animal testing because the law makes them than is our government to "blame" for why we still use animals for testing purposes. If the government is the highest power and we the people technically have a say on how it should be run why are we not stopping animal testing and pushing for harder laws for alternatives?

Colgate

I think it is because we are not informed as consumers. For instance, what if sectioned of our products at the store as "TESTED ON ANIMALS" and "NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS". Would people be less inclined to buy those products that are not cruelty-free, forcing companies to find alternatives? I know for a fact that I would not consciously buy a product that was labeled as animal tested. I was also exposed to some pretty graphic images while searching from if Colgate does animal testing and I know for a fact is I got to see where my product came from and saw the disgusting images of rabbits with half their fur and skin hanging off their body I would never support that company.
I feel like if that government mandated that companies find other alternatives no matter the cost, we would be able to move from a society that uses animals for our use because they are a "cheaper source". At the end of the day I feel like it always comes back to money...this is where you could argue intersectionality comes into play as well. Government-Companies-Money seems to be the three factors that drive our society.