Update: Since the FDA has not released the names of the companies that also bought contaminated wheat, and Hills Science Diet (dry kibble) and Purina have also joined the recall list, it’s difficult for me to recommend any pet food at this time. The ones I’ve listed are all cruelty-free, but they could be poisoned. So far, I think I’d recommend Newman’s Own Organics since it is not made with wheat — but keep an eye on the Pet Connection Blog which is a wonderful blog that has been covering the recall admirably.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Freeman Cosmetics makes a lot of cruelty-free bath and body products for very reasonable prices. They used to have this great rose shampoo and conditioner that I really liked, but they stopped producing it years ago. I was really excited to buy this body butter — it’s sooo cheap! $4.49 for 8 ounces! Available at your local Walgreens! Unfortunately, I’m not really impressed with most of Freeman Cosmetics current products, and this body butter is no exception. Freeman Cosmetics says that it is a “thick, rich body butter, blended with sunflower seeds and vanilla extract” that “hydrates, conditions, and softens dry skin.” However, I don’t think it has a very thick or rich texture — I found it difficult to apply because it has a weird jello-like texture. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’ve been using a lot of organic products lately, but it felt weirdly plasticky and unnatural as well — nothing like L’Occitane’s shea butter, basically. It didn’t sink in very quickly, and I really did not care for the fragrance - Soothing Comfort: Sunflower and Vanilla Sugar. Though I think I’m in the minority on that one — a bunch of people on Makeup Alley really liked the scent. Because it was so inexpensive I’ve given it 2/5 stars instead of 1/5 stars. So it’s a good choice if you’re really broke.
Freeman Beautiful Body Butter is available for $4.49 at Freeman Beauty.
Ingredients:
Water (aqua), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (cocoa), Cyclomethicone, Emulsifying Wax Nf, PEG-32, Shorea Stenoptera Butter, Petrolatum, Helianthus Annuus Oil (hybrid sunflower), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Propylene Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract (sunflower), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract (orange), Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract (apple), Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Fragrance (parfum), Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Yellow 6, Yellow 5
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Update: Since the FDA has not released the names of the companies that also bought contaminated wheat, and Hills Science Diet (dry kibble) and Purina have also joined the recall list, it’s difficult for me to recommend any pet food at this time. The pet foods I’ve listed below are all cruelty-free, but they could be poisoned. So far, I think I’d recommend Newman’s Own Organics since it is not made with wheat — but keep an eye on the Pet Connection Blog which is a wonderful blog that has been covering the recall admirably.
I put this list at the bottom of my post on recalled pet food, but I think it deserves its own post as well. Basically, there are a lot of pet-food producing companies that perform laboratory tests on animals for their own foul purposes. Why? I have no idea. I can’t even read about that sort of thing, but if you go to iamscruelty.com you can read all about it.
Before I got into cruelty-free shopping, I never even considered that pet-food could not be cruelty-free. Why in the world would pet food companies perform laboratory tests on animals? Palatability tests, sure, but laboratory tests? I had no idea. Now I realize that Iams and most pet food companies are cruel companies who hurt dogs, cats, rabbits, and rats every day, and I’d prefer to support cruelty-free pet food companies, and know that my money is not being spent performing inhumane experiments.
Unfortunately, the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, which is the gold standard in cruelty-free labeling, does not have a list of cruelty-free pet food (probably because the CCIC limits itself to cosmetics), so I’ve had to find cruelty-free pet food on the PETA web site, which has a very nice “caring consumer” shopping guide that includes a pet food section. The website states that PETA sends numerous pet food companies letters asking if they conduct laboratory tests on animals, and then puts the ones that respond stating that they do not test on the cruelty-free list. The original is available here. Unfortunately, most of these pet foods are difficult to find in local stores — I think “Newman’s Own” (an excellent product I highly recommend — it’s cruelty-free and organic) is the only one that can be bought at mainstream pet stores such as Pet Food Express.
Update: It turns out that Newman’s Own Organics, Nature’s Variety, and Wysong all use Menu Foods canning services (according to the Animal Protection Institute), so I’ve struck them off the list. I personally would not want to buy any of these pet foods — I don’t want to buy anything that will give Menu Foods a profit. As soon as they stop using Menu Foods, I’ll put them back on the list. (They have not issued any recalls so far.)
Update 04/19/07: Natural Balance has issued a voluntary recall of its venison dog and cat products — due to melamine-contaminated rice — so I’m striking it off the list (the press release doesn’t say anything about whether Natural Balance uses Menu Foods as a vendor — does anyone know if there is any evidence of this?). If any other brands on this list issue voluntary recalls, please comment at the bottom of this post and I’ll strike them through as well.
Active Life Pet Products1-877-291-2913www.activelifepp.com
Amoré Pet Services, Inc.1-866-572-6673www.amorepetfoods.com
Animal Food Services1-800-743-0322 www.animalfood.com
Artemis Pet Food1-800-282-5876 www.artemiscompany.com
Azmira Holistic Animal Care1-800-497-5665 www.azmira.com
Burns Pet Health, Inc.1-877-983-9651www.burnspethealth.com
Canusa International519-624-5697 www.canusaint.com
CountryPet Pet Food1-800-454-7387www.countrypet.com
Dr. Harvey’s1-866-362-4123www.drharveys.com
Dry Fork Milling Co. 1-800-346-1360
Dynamite Marketing, Inc.208-887-9410www.dynamitemarketing.com
Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Co., Inc. 1-800-288-6796www.evangersdogfood.com
Evolution Diet, Inc. (entirely vegan)1-800-659-0104www.petfoodshop.com
Good Dog Foods, Inc.732-842-4555 www.gooddogfoods.com
GreenTripe.Com 831-726-3255 www.greentripe.com
Halo, Purely for Pets1-800-426-4256 www.halopets.com
Happy Dog Food 1-800-359-9576 www.happydogfood.com
Harbingers of a New Age (entirely vegan) 406-295-4944 www.vegepet.com
Holistic Blend 1-800-954-1117 www.holisticblend.com
The Honest Kitchen 858-483-5995 www.thehonestkitchen.com
Know Better Dog Food 1-866-922-6463 www.knowbetterdogfood.com
KosherPets, Inc. 954-938-6270 www.kosherpets.com
Kumpi Pet Foods 303-699-8562www.kumpi.com
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. (has vegan options) 1-800-829-4493 www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Life Pet Products, Inc. (has vegan options) 1-800-367-2391 www.nlpp.com
Nature’s Variety 1-888-519-7387 www.naturesvariety.com
Newman’s Own Organics www.newmansownorganics.com
PetGuard (has vegan options) 1-800-874-3221 904-264-8500 www.petguard.com
Pied Piper Pet & Wildlife 1-800-338-4610 www.piedpiperpet.com
PoshNosh Inc. 613-747-1542 1-866-893-4006 (Outside Ottawa-Outaouais)
Raw Advantage, Inc. 360-387-5158 www.rawadvantagepetfood.com
Rocky Mountain Natural Products 1-877-768-6788 (Eastern U.S.) 1-800-665-5521 (Western U.S.) www.rmtnp.com
Sauder Feeds, Inc. 260-627-2196 www.sauderfeeds.com
Stella & Chewy’s LLC 718-522-9673 www.stellaandchewys.com
Timberwolf Organics, Inc. 407-877-8779 www.timberwolforganics.com
V-dogfood LLC (entirely vegan) 1-888-280-8364 www.V-dogfood.com
Veterinary Nutritional Formula 1-800-811-0530 www.vnfpetfood.com
Wow-Bow Distributors Ltd. (has vegan options) 1-800-326-0230 www.wow-bow.com
Wysong Professional Diets (has vegan options) 1-800-748-0188 www.wysong.net
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
I first saw Method cleaning products at Target a few years ago, and I loved the way they look — they’re all very cool and very modern looking. If you’re tired of pastel 1980s-inspired cleaning products with hokey and hideous flower prints all over them, Method may appeal to you. Method Home Inc is a great company — they make cutting-edge cleaning products that work, they are very interested in environmental concerns — all Method products are biodegradable and recyclable — their products are beautiful, and all their products are inexpensive and available at Target. Method Home Inc also has an interesting blog that mostly deals with cleaning and environmental concerns.
Method dish soap has an especially modern design — it looks like dish soap the house of the future would have. The bottle was designed by Karim Rashid — not only does it look cool, but you just pick it up and squeeze, there’s no need to open or upend the bottle. The soap comes in three fragrances — mandarin, lavender, and mint. I haven’t tried the mandarin or the mint, but the lavender is great. It’s a detergent, not a soap, so it doesn’t create soap scum, and dishes end up being very clear and shiny after use. Method claims that it has an “advanced surfactant that will lift food particles from dishes and break down grease and baked on food” and that its “fast-rinse formula assures a clean and quick rinse.”
Method dish soap (25oz) is available at Target for $5.00, or at the Method website for $5.00.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Since the complete list of cruelty-free companies approved by the CCIC is pretty long, I’ve compiled a short list of a few companies on the CCIC list that have products available at most U.S. health food stores and natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods. Some are available at department stores and Sephora (some at Trader Joe’s and Target):
A
Abba
Alba Botanica
Aubrey Organics (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
Avalon Natural Products
B
Badger Balm (licensee of the leaping bunny logo)
Beauty Without Cruelty
The Body Shop (cruelty-free subsidiary of parent company that does not comply with the Leaping Bunny Standard)
Burt’s Bees (cruelty-free subsidiary of a parent company that does not comply with the Leaping Bunny Standard)
D
Dermalogica
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
E
Eco-Dent (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
EO Products/Small World Trading Company (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
F
Fleabusters
Freeman Cosmetics
French Transit
G
Gabriel Cosmetics
Glad Rags
H
Hard Candy (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
J
Jason Natural Cosmetics (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
John Paul Mitchell Systems
Juice Beauty (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
P
Paul Mitchell
Parissa (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
S
Seventh Generation (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
ShiKai (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
T
Tom’s of Maine (cruelty-free subsidiary of parent company that does not comply with the Leaping Bunny Standard)
Too Faced Cosmetics
U
Un-Petroleum Lip Care
Urban Decay (licensee of the CCIC Logo)
Y
Yardley
(Updated 03/01/07)
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Dermalogica Silk Finish Conditioner (4/5 stars)
This is a nice conditioner — it does provide a slight shine on my hair. However, it’s fairly light, and definitely not a deep conditioner, or even a medium conditioner, and I would not use it with the Dermalogica shampoo, because the shampoo is far too strong for it. I think it might be better if my hair were oilier. It has a fairly pleasant, mild, sort of chemical-y fragrance. According to dermalogica.com, it is an “ultra-polishing conditioner” well suited for daily use. It has “silkening wheat proteins, balancing Vitamin A and strengthening Panthenol to improve hair’s shine and manageability.” It is “designed for all hair conditions and formulated with naturally clean-rinsing lemon, eucalyptus and tea tree extracts.” It “instantly detangles and smoothes the hair cuticle. The aromatic, shine-enhancing botanical extracts of lavender, ylang-ylang, and rosemary give hair a healthy silk finish.” It contains no artificial fragrance or color.
Dermalogica Silk Finish Conditioner (8oz) is available at whatgreatskin.com for $11.45.
Ingredients: Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia ) Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Steapyrium Chloride, Essential Oils of: Ylang-Ylang (Cananga Odorata), Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), Eucalyptus Globulus, Lemon (Citrus) Medica Limonum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia); Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Panthenol, Wheat Amino Acids, Retinyl Palmitate, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Octoxynol-40, Isolaureth-6, Benzalkonium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Methylparaben,Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothizolinone.
ETA: Since I wrote this I’ve since decided that I really like this conditioner — I think the conditioner is actually very moisturizing if used with a gentle shampoo, and for some reason it seems to work really well with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny shampoo for me. It nicely moisturizes my hair, and it also gives my hair a nice weight — it makes my hair feel heavier with less fly-away/frizzyness without making my hair oily or limp. It’s my new favorite conditioner, so I’ve upgraded it to 5/5 stars.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Isn’t the current pet food poisoning just awful? I did a little internet surfing, and I found a wonderful PETA blog — the PETA Files — which has a great explanation of the whole thing. Apparently, Menu Foods, the food distributor responsible for the rat-poison infested dog food, is a food distributor owned by Procter & Gamble. I think it’s appalling that is is not mentioned in any other news article I’ve read. Procter & Gamble have long been known for their appalling animal testing conditions — PETA hates them — and I already go out of my way to never buy anything made by Procter & Gamble, and this pet food poisoning scare has just reinforced that for me. Here’s the PETA Files explanation:
After an unknown number of cats and dogs died of kidney failure from eating tainted pet food, Menu Foods, a contract manufacturer for Proctor & Gamble’s Iams and Eukanuba brands, has recalled 60 million cans of pet food from stores nationwide. If you’re worried about your own animals, click here for the full information about the recall on Menu Foods’ site, or you can call them at 1-866-463-6738 and 1-866-895-2708. Not to cause too much alarm and despondency here, but if you do suspect that your animal has become seriously ill, the best thing to do (as always in such cases) is gently carry them to the car and rush to the nearest veterinarian.
There have been some murmurings about class action suits being filed against the company, and CBS has reported on someone in Chicago who is suing. We’ve also written a letter to Proctor & Gamble about this issue, which you can read here, and we’re calling on prosecutors to investigate whether cruelty charges should be filed against Menu Canada, Menu Foods, and Iams for alleged failure to warn consumers about the tainted food as soon as they had the information and—just as disturbingly—apparently feeding the tainted food to cats and dogs in order to test it.
As our letter to Iams points out, this isn’t the first time Proctor & Gamble have been responsible for dog deaths: Our investigation into the company a few years ago caught them cutting out huge chunks of muscle from their test subjects’ legs and leaving them to suffer for days. Although Iams has severed ties with Sinclair Research Center, the laboratory where our investigation was conducted, the lab still has some major clients in the pet-food industry, and it should come as no surprise that one of their biggest contracts is with Menu Foods themselves. I’ve posted footage of that investigation below, and you can find a list of pet-food companies that don’t test on animals here.
I looked up the Menu Foods recall page, and here is the list of the 53 recalled brands. If you are currently using any of these pet foods in the “cuts and gravy” style packaging, please send them back before your dog or cat dies of liver damage. The big names are Iams, Eukanuba, and Mighty Dog:
- Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
- Authority
- Award
- Best Choice
- Big Bet
- Big Red
- Bloom
- Cadillac
- Companion
- Demoulas Market Basket
- Eukanuba
- Food Lion
- Giant Companion
- Great Choice
- Hannaford
- Hill Country Fare
- Hy-Vee
- Iams
- Laura Lynn
- Loving Meals
- Meijers Main Choice
- Mighty Dog Pouch
- Mixables
- Nutriplan
- Nutro Max
- Nutro Natural Choice
- Nutro Ultra
- Nutro
- Ol’Roy Canada
- Ol’Roy US
- Paws
- Pet Essentials
- Pet Pride - Good n Meaty
- Presidents Choice
- Price Chopper
- Priority Canada
- Priority US
- Publix
- Roche Brothers
- Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
- Schnucks
- Shep Dog
- Springsfield Prize
- Sprout
- Stater Brothers
- Stop & Shop Companion
- Tops Companion
- Wegmans Bruiser
- Weis Total Pet
- Western Family US
- White Rose
- Winn Dixie
- Your Pet
Also, here is a list of cruelty free PETA-approved pet food brands that are NOT owned by Procter & Gamble. The original is available here. Unfortunately, most of them are difficult to find locally — I think Newman’s Own” (an excellent product I highly recommend — organic an cruelty-free) is the only one that can be bought at most any pet store.
Active Life Pet Products1-877-291-2913www.activelifepp.com
Amoré Pet Services, Inc.1-866-572-6673www.amorepetfoods.com
Animal Food Services1-800-743-0322 www.animalfood.com
Artemis Pet Food1-800-282-5876 www.artemiscompany.com
Azmira Holistic Animal Care1-800-497-5665 www.azmira.com
Burns Pet Health, Inc.1-877-983-9651www.burnspethealth.com
Canusa International519-624-5697 www.canusaint.com
CountryPet Pet Food1-800-454-7387www.countrypet.com
Dr. Harvey’s1-866-362-4123www.drharveys.com
Dry Fork Milling Co. 1-800-346-1360
Dynamite Marketing, Inc.208-887-9410www.dynamitemarketing.com
Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Co., Inc. 1-800-288-6796www.evangersdogfood.com
Evolution Diet, Inc. (entirely vegan)1-800-659-0104www.petfoodshop.com
Good Dog Foods, Inc.732-842-4555 www.gooddogfoods.com
GreenTripe.Com 831-726-3255 www.greentripe.com
Halo, Purely for Pets1-800-426-4256 www.halopets.com
Happy Dog Food 1-800-359-9576 www.happydogfood.com
Harbingers of a New Age (entirely vegan) 406-295-4944 www.vegepet.com
Holistic Blend 1-800-954-1117 www.holisticblend.com
The Honest Kitchen 858-483-5995 www.thehonestkitchen.com
Know Better Dog Food 1-866-922-6463 www.knowbetterdogfood.com
KosherPets, Inc. 954-938-6270 www.kosherpets.com
Kumpi Pet Foods 303-699-8562www.kumpi.com
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. (has vegan options) 1-800-829-4493 www.naturalbalanceinc.com
Natural Life Pet Products, Inc. (has vegan options) 1-800-367-2391 www.nlpp.com
Nature’s Variety 1-888-519-7387 www.naturesvariety.com
Newman’s Own Organics www.newmansownorganics.com
PetGuard (has vegan options) 1-800-874-3221 904-264-8500 www.petguard.com
Pied Piper Pet & Wildlife 1-800-338-4610 www.piedpiperpet.com
PoshNosh Inc. 613-747-1542 1-866-893-4006 (Outside Ottawa-Outaouais)
Raw Advantage, Inc. 360-387-5158 www.rawadvantagepetfood.com
Rocky Mountain Natural Products 1-877-768-6788 (Eastern U.S.) 1-800-665-5521 (Western U.S.) www.rmtnp.com
Sauder Feeds, Inc. 260-627-2196 www.sauderfeeds.com
Stella & Chewy’s LLC 718-522-9673 www.stellaandchewys.com
Timberwolf Organics, Inc. 407-877-8779 www.timberwolforganics.com
V-dogfood LLC (entirely vegan) 1-888-280-8364 www.V-dogfood.com
Veterinary Nutritional Formula 1-800-811-0530 www.vnfpetfood.com
Wow-Bow Distributors Ltd. (has vegan options) 1-800-326-0230 www.wow-bow.com
Wysong Professional Diets (has vegan options) 1-800-748-0188 www.wysong.net
Thursday, March 22, 2007
There are many great international resources for cruelty-free shopping — the wonderful British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection has a sister-site with the CCIC with a fantastic British cruelty-free shopping guide (I love the name — “abolishing vivisection” is so much more descriptive than “cruelty-free.”) In Australia the lovely Choose Cruelty Free has a cruelty free shopping guide as well — and of course, the Australian Cruelty Free Shop would be a great place to shop for them. I assume there are many other cruelty free organizations in non-English speaking countries, but I don’t know how to search for them! However, if you live in the U.S. but have access to international cosmetics and household products, here is the list of CCIC-approved international companies. The original is available here. Other than L’Occitane, I’ve never seen any of these products on the shelves in any stores around here, but maybe I don’t shop at international markets enough. Anyway, if you’re outside of the U.S., buy some of these products and support cruelty-free companies!
A
Alcina Cosmetic (Belgium)
Alva Umweltschönende Produckte (Germany)
Animal Shield (Germany)
Argiletz (France)
Argital (Italy)
ASDA Stores (United Kingdom)
Astonish (United Kingdom)
B
Beauty Without Cruelty (United Kingdom)
Bio-Bee Natursalva (Sweden)
Bioforce (Germany)
Biokosma (Switzerland)
Biorganic (United Kingdom)
Body & Face (United Kingdom)
The Body Shop International (United Kingdom) (cruelty-free subsidiary of a company that does not subscribe to the Leaping Bunny standard)
C
Calder Valley Soap (United Kingdom)
Centifolia (France)
Cibe Laboratori (Italy)
Clear Spring (United Kingdom)
Clemon (Switzerland) (licensee of the CCIC logo)
Comptoir Provencal des Argiles (France)
Co-op Brand (United Kingdom)
D
D’Aymons (Italy)
Dermotricos (Italy)
Dolma Vegan Perfumes (United Kingdom)
E
Elias Hudvardsprodukter (Switzerland)
Elizabeth Peter (Austria)
Essential Oil Company (United Kingdom)
Etamine du Lys (France)
Euro-nat S.A. (France)
F
Faith Products (United Kingdom)
Florame (France)
Flora Primavera Z (Italy)
Föllinge Nature of Sweden (Sweden)
Frisch Kosmetik (Germany)
Fritz Schmidinger (Austria)
G
Good Earth Catalogue (United Kingdom)
H
Hair Workshop (United Kingdom)
Hakawerk W. Scholtz (Germany)
Halsingehonung (Sweden) (licensee of the leaping bunny logo)
Hans-Joaquin Brandl (Germany)
Helan (Italy)
The Hemp Company (United Kingdom)
Herbs et Traditions (France)
Hima Laya Natural Cosmetics (Germany)
Hollytrees (United Kingdom)
Honesty Cosmetics (United Kingdom)
J
Jacques G. Paltz (France)
J & D Black (United Kingdom)
K
Kingfisher Toothpaste (United Kingdom)
Klippoteket (Sweden)
Kobashi Essential Oils (United Kingdom)
KPL Cosmetics (United Kingdom)
L
Laboratoire Body Nature (France)
Laboratoire Cattier Dislab (France)
Laboratoire Gravier (France)
Laboratoire LEA (France)
La Florina (Germany)
Lakshmi (Italy)
La Phocéenne de cosmetique (France)
L’Arche Bleue (France)
L’Erbolario (Italy)
Les Douces Angevines (France)
Lifehair (Finland)
Liz Earle Skincare (United Kingdom)
L’Occitane (France) (though while the CCIC lists this as being cruelty-free, the National Anti-Vivisection Society does not)
Louis Widmer (Switzerland)
LT Laboratoires (France)
M
Make-Up International (United Kingdom)
Meadowsweet (United Kingdom)
Melvita (France)
Montagne Jeunesse (United Kingdom) (though while the CCIC lists this as being cruelty-free, the National Anti-Vivisection Society does not)
Moor Spa International (United Kingdom)
N
Natessence (France)
Natupur Frisor (Germany)
Naturkometic Gabrielle Schachner (Austria)
Naturkosmetik (Germany)
Neal’s Yard Remedies (United Kingdom)
P
Pedrini-Lepo Line (Italy)
Penhaligon’s (United Kingdom)
Perovit-Etol Werk (Austria)
Provida Kosmetik (Germany)
Q
Quinessence Aromatherapy (United Kingdom)
R
Rebis (Italy)
Ringana Bio-Bio (Austria)
S
Sainsbury’s (United Kingdom)
Sanoflore (France)
Sanoll Ziegenmilch (Austria)
Serayet-wild neo 42 (France)
Styx-Naturcosmetic Kräutergarten (Austria)
T
Tapir (Germany)
Terra Natura (Austria)
Thalgo (France)
Togal-Werk (Germany)
V
Vegana Naturkraft (Germany)
Vegan Verde (Germany)
Vincelles Chimie (France)
(Updated 06/20/06)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Dermalogica has a lot of nice cruelty-free products that usually have cutting-edge ingredients in them — and this shampoo is one of them. It’s a good clarifying shampoo that lathers nicely, doesn’t leave up any build-up, and is lightly scented. Supposedly it has no artificial fragrance or color, and it also has beta hydroxy citric acid in it which is supposed to reduce scalp flakiness, as well as quillaja saponaria, lemon and tea tree extracts for clarifying, panthenol for strengthening, rosemary oil for highlight-enhancing, lavender extract for deep-cleaning too restore lift and bounce. I really haven’t noticed any of these effects other than the clarifying one — it’s a very strongly cleaning shampoo. In fact, Dermalogica claims that it is a daily-use shampoo, but I have found it a little too strong for my hair — I only use it once a week at most. Not the ultimate shampoo for me, but nice, and a good clarifier.
Dermalogica Shine Therapy Shampoo (8oz) is available for $10.75 at whatgreatskin.com.
Ingredients: Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) Extract, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Essential Oils of: Ylang-Ylang (Canaga Odorata), Lavender(Lavandula Angustifolia ), Eucapyltus Globluslus, Lemon (Citus Medica Limonum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolica); Extracts of: Quillaja Saponaria, Turmeric (Curcuma Longa); Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Nonoxynol-12, Methylchloroisodthiazoline, Methylisothizaolinone,Methylparaben.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Here is a list of all the Coalition for Consumer Information in Cosmetics (CCIC) approved companies in the US — the original list is available here. All of these companies have taken a voluntary pledge to never test on animals during any stage of product development, and their ingredient suppliers make the same pledge and the result is a product that is 100% free of new animal testing. Some of the companies have paid a fee to license the CCIC leaping bunny logo and they agree to be audited every three years to make sure they are complying with the CCIC regulations — this is noted in parentheses beside each company that has done so. Some other companies on the list have pledged to the CCIC to never test on animals or buy ingredients from suppliers that test on animals, but their parent companies are giant corporations that follow no such rules — this is noted in parentheses besides those companies as well.
Many of these products are available at your local health food stores, Whole Foods or Sephora (and Method products are available at Target), and all of them are easily obtainable online. A great place to buy a lot of them is White Rabbit Beauty — the cosmetics store that only sells cruelty-free products (they also do free samples!). You can really find almost any sort of cosmetic or household product made by companies on this list.
Abra Therapeutics, Inc.
Web: www.abraorganics.com
ABRA SkinCare is formulated by a professional herbalist. Just like high quality herbal supplements, we combine standardized and whole herb extracts to deliver the entire range of nutrients to the skin.
Afrumos
Web: www.afrumos.com
AFRUMOS brings you a pure line of Mineral Makeup and Organic Skin Care to provide you the ultimate in facial care.
Afterglow Cosmetics
Web: www.afterglowcosmetics.com
Afterglow Cosmetics bridges the gap between natural and high-fashion cosmetics to bring you a truly natural blend of pure mineral make-up with the fabulous, organic infused, highly pigmented color palette you crave.
Alba Botanica
Web: www.albabotanica.com
We know life is complicated — but superb personal care doesn’t have to be. Our sensual, exotic body care products reflect your need for effective, individualized body care.
Allens Naturally
Web: www.allensnaturally.com
For People who CARE about THEIR WORLD
Anna Marie’s Aromatherapy
Web: www.annieallan.biz
We are proud and happy to say that neither our hand-mixed products nor our natural ingredients are tested on animals.
Arbonne
Web: www.arbonne.com
The idea to provide skin care products unparalleled in quality and effectiveness developed in Switzerland in 1975, when one man, Petter Mørck, together with a group of leading bio-chemists, biologists and herbalists, fulfilled his vision and founded Arbonne.
Aroma Bella
Web: www.aromabella.com
Aroma Bella® is committed to the highest standards of product quality and integrity. The products marketed by Aroma Bella® are prepared with exacting care and personal attention, thus insuring the freshest and purest natural cosmetics on the market today.
Aroma Crystal Therapy
Web: www.aromacrystal.com
All our aromatherapy bath and body products are made with 100% pure essential oils. We use herbs, earth and sea salts, flowers from our garden and semi-precious crystals to create our products.
Ashambri Skincare
Web: www.ashambri.net
Your facial care products may be doing more damage to your skin than the toxins and pollutants that they are claiming to remove! Retaliate with gentle yet effective natural and organic facial care products by Ashambri
Aubrey
Web: www.aubrey-organics.com
Over thirty years ago, while living in New York City, Aubrey began experimenting with two natural formulations, an all-herbal bath oil and a protein-based hair conditioner.
Aunt Bee’s Skin Care
Web: www.privatelabelselect.com/auntbees.html
Our delightful blend is a handmade formula packed with years of experience and the finest ingredients available.
Auromère Ayurvedic Imports
Web: www.auromere.com
Auromere is one of the first importers of ayurvedic products from India to the U.S. Ayurveda is the ancient Indian system of healing and rejuvenation through the use of natural herbs, roots and minerals.
Austin Rose
Web: www.austinrose.com
The balance of NATURAL BOTANICALS and CITRUS eliminates the need for chemical preservatives or additives of any kind. PET AIR is also AROMATHERAPY (healing energy from nature’s scents) basically recharging you and your PET’S ENERGY with ionized air.
Australasian College of Health Sciences
Australasian College of Health Sciences
Web: www.achs.edu
To further excellence in natural health by providing comprehensive professional education and training and high-quality natural products.
Avalon
Web: www.avalonnaturalproducts.com
Over thirty years ago, while living in New York City, avalon began experimenting with two natural formulations, an all-herbal bath oil and a protein-based hair conditioner.
B
Badger Balm
W.S. Badger Company
Web: www.badgerbalm.com
Badger is the best stuff for your skin. We are also a healing line. Healing as in: fresh air, sunlight, a cooling breeze and the kind thoughts of a good friend.