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Friday 31 July 2009

L'Oreal's Animal Testing Policy

Below in quotation marks is a copy of L'Oreal's Animal Testing Policy given to me by L'Oreal's PR company. I am very grateful that they gave this to me as it has confirmed news that I had heard on the grapevine and in other blogs.

I would like to use L'Oreal products but I am still unclear on what tests they are allowed to perform on which ingredients and which products contain these ingredients which have been tested? That was a bit of a long sentence but it just further confirms my confusion!

Overall I am delighted that finally there is a some EU regulation with teeth but it's a long time to 2013.

"L’Oréal’s policy on animal testing

Last updated on 1 November 2007

Summary

L’Oréal voluntarily stopped animal testing on its entire range of products in 1989.

We are totally committed to a future without tests on animals and continue to make significant investments in research aimed at finding valid alternatives. We comply with all EU and national laws in ensuring the absolute safety of our products. These are positions we share with The Body Shop, whose policy of not using any ingredients that have been tested or retested on animals for cosmetics purposes since the end of 1990 remains unchanged.

Your browser may not support display of this image. L’Oréal voluntarily stopped using animal testing for the evaluation of its entire range of finished cosmetic products in 1989. It was possible to do this due to the considerable time and effort we have invested for over two decades including developments of databases on ingredient toxicity profiles, and the results of a large-scale programme carried out over several years to develop appropriate in vitro methods such as Episkin. Moreover, we have also co-operated with our competitors in this common objective.

We are totally committed to a future without tests on animals. We comply with all EU and national laws in ensuring the absolute safety of our products. These are positions we share with The Body Shop whose policy of not using any ingredients that have been tested or retested on animals for cosmetics purposes since the end of 1990 remains unchanged.

The industry and many opinion formers believe that this common objective of eradication of animal testing for safety purposes can only be totally achieved through research, development and validation of alternative methods and approaches. L’Oréal has invested more than any other company in this endeavour during the last 25 years. This is a fact that was recognised and endorsed by Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop and campaigner against animal testing for cosmetics.

Some of our achievements to date:

  • In the early 1980s, L’Oréal developed Episkin - reconstructed human skin models complete with a barrier function. These have since been routinely used to obtain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of skin and to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of our products. Some of these models can be used to study skin pigmentation or its immune response.

  • A specific protocol, using the company’s reconstructed epidermis model Episkin, has been validated by the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) for the purposes of evaluating skin irritancy and corrosion. This method provides a full replacement for the corresponding animal test.

  • Our researchers have also developed the first epidermal model containing Langerhans cells which play a decisive role in the skin’s allergic response. Having been a pilot for a European Commission programme, similar models are currently being studied as alternative methods to skin allergy tests.

  • The recent acquisition by L’Oréal of the tissue engineering company, Skin Ethic, is further testimony to our continued commitment to the development of alternative methods to replace animal testing.

Your browser may not support display of this image.

In Europe, the safety of cosmetic products is regulated by the European Cosmetics Directive, which is implemented in the UK by the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations. This legislation specifically prescribes the tests that all ingredient suppliers must carry out on every chemical substance, whether old or new. Some of these tests may have involved animals. Companies manufacturing products containing chemical substances, without any exception, are only legally permitted to use ingredients that have undergone these compulsory safety tests at some stage.

However, the Seventh Amendment of the EU Cosmetics Directive states that in March 2009 all testing on all cosmetic ingredients will be banned by law across the whole of the EU and any cosmetic product containing ingredients tested on animals will be banned from being placed on the market. Only a limited amount of tests assessing the systemic safety of ingredients will be exempt from this ban, but the exemption only applies for an extra 4 years. In other words, after 2013 products containing ingredients tested on animals will be banned from sale. We continue to work with the Commission, the industry and research organisations to develop, ahead of the above cut-off dates, new alternative methods and approaches in several fields of toxicology where they are still lacking.

Despite the progress made to date, the Commission, the industry and research organisations face the major challenge of developing new alternative methods and approaches for the safety assessment of chemical ingredients in several fields of toxicology where they are still lacking, and ensuring their validation and acceptance by competent authorities. L’Oréal is thus an active member of the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to animal testing (EPAA) led by the European Commission, and we are committed, in our field of expertise, to progressing and promoting this programme."

Lumiere Cosmetics Light Up My Life!

I was sent some of Lumiere's samples the other day, I thought they looked ok but nothing special.

Firstly the packaging, as I've said - it's the thing that attracts us in the sea of products vying for our attention in the aisles! As they were samples I can't really give much feedback as they were all small plastic jars!

Eye pigments, my favourite is the Hypnotic pigment, it's hard to describe and the picture doesn't do the depth and dimension of colour enough justice.

Blusher - I should have gone for the more red tone Bordeaux colour, as the pinkish one that I went for in Rose was too light for my skin. It is hard to know on the internet how they are really going to turn out but it's a nice colour that I will use, but it doesn't go with some of my other looks.

Foundation - I was sent about six samples and a full sized jar, I used these to mix a perfect shade as none of them really matched.

Primer - this is what feels like a silicone based gel, so probably not suitable for oilier skins. It is really good for me as I am starting to get a few wrinkles around my nose and eyes as it fills these in and is flexible and soft. I really liked it. I did try the GOSH foundation primer but it didn't work very well for me so I was sceptical about it, but this is not as greasy.

Lip Gloss, now I say this as a seasoned make up junkie - this is the BEST lip gloss I have ever tried. It is light, moisturising, not glittery and not sticky. The colours I tried were "in the nude" and "spice". I use spice over the entire lip and then in then to emphasise the pout, a bit of in the nude on the fuller parts of the lip. Wow is all I can say, I want more!

3D eye - this is also a good product for brightening up the eye area without having to use a heavy and dry primer product or a foundation. Use this powder over a slick of primer and it's lovely. It's light yellow colour so really good for neutralising brownish tints on the skin - such as dark circles!

Brushes - I gave away my MAC 188 brush as I wasn't that enamoured with it being made of goat hair. So wanted another duo fibre brush to replace it. Also a fan brush which is my favourite brush for blusher these days!

I really want to try the prismatic eye pigments and the colour correcting minerals as they look fantastic. I am excited about this range, the website is a bit difficult to navigate as everything is grouped according to colour which is ok if that's how you like to browse but I just want to browse the whole rainbow at once. It's also not a flashy website either so don't let that put you off as the products are amazing.


Here's a Tutorial using some of their products!

Friday 3 July 2009

What one does with more time? Cosmetics from BN2B2BB!

B Never Too Busy to be Beautiful - from the makers of LUSH cosmetics! Vegan, cruelty free and fair trade cosmetics!

*Spoiler alert* If you are one of my bridesmaids, then DO NOT read this post!!

When I went to London last for the Barry M blogger event, I went to the Oxford Street branch of B Never to Busy to be Beautiful or BN2B2BB for short! I picked up about £100 worth of goodies for my bridesmaids gifts hence the spoiler alert.

Although I got a few nice things (below) for myself too...

From left to right
Five eye shadows in this gilded presentation box - absolutely gorgeous colours and consistency is on the powdery side but are highly pigmented and soft.
Boudoir Lipstick, not that I need ANOTHER red lipstick but it's a lovely shade and reminds me of Barry M Lip paints in consistency and staying power.
Be Dazzled, Bullet and Boosh cream eyeshadows - mmm very nice colours and consistency, they need to be set with translucent powder or eye shadow to make them resist creasing.

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Mint Julips Sugar Lip Scrub, smells great and works too, it leaves your lips kissable soft and flake free. Don't be too enthusiastic with it though of you'll end up with swollen (no problems there) but stinging lips! The container also leaked!

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Eye Kohl in perplexing choice of container, I really can't get to grips with this container, it's fiddly and not that portable either. The kohl is wonderfully smooth and makes for a wicked smudgy smoky eye but just too much hassle getting it out of it's weird little pot (which is made of thin wood, so sustainable yay, but annoying and not waterproof, doh!)

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Half Lashes, cute and sweet little darlings, they are a contender for my wedding!

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Loose Pigment Pots, again a not very practical choice of container, some of it had come out of the pot and it's messy to use. I loved the pigments themselves but they are not portable and you end up with product all over the place and your fingers! The pots look beautiful on the dresser though...

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For the tutorial using the Bombshell Palette
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