The Green Room

Jennie Thorner from Vancouver, BC writes:

I would like to compile a list of companies known for testing on animals. I want to make sure I’m making wise consumer choices and would like a reliable source to tell me which companies test on animals. A list or more information would be much appreciated!

Lindsay replies:

Testing on animals is not a topic that we have become involved in to date. The good news is that I plan to profile "labeling" in general in a future David Suzuki Nature Challenge newsletter . It will translate what certain labels mean, like fair trade, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), EnergyStar, etc. It will also show you how to make your own products by using simple ingredients not tested on animals!

Personally, I was recently doing a search for such a list and found one in a book called "The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience." Animal testing still happens today and there is no regulation around the labeling of "cruelty-free," "no animal testing," "not tested on animals," etc. The bottom line is to look for the White Rabbit logo .

Below is the long list I copied from the book, but I’d suggest you get the source as it has more detail and an explanation of how they derived the list. Also, because the David Suzuki Foundation is a non-profit organization we cannot recommend brands that we are for or against. You see, we just don’t test them or watchdog the companies. It’s really up to you to decide.

If this sort of thing interests you, I’d suggest you pick up "Not Just A Pretty Face ." I just finished it on the weekend and it’s a very empowering read! So, who tests on animals as listed in the book "The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience."

* Chesebrough-Ponds: makes Ponds, Vaseline
* Church & Dwight: makes Aim, Arm & Hammer, Close-Up, Nair
* Clairol: makes Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23
* Clorox: ArmourAll, Glad, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, Soft Scrub, SOS, Tilex
* Colgate Palmolive: Ajax, Fab, Mennen, Palmolive, Soft Soap, Speed Stick
* COTY: Adidas, Calvin Klein, Glow, The Healing Garden, Jovan, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacob, Rimmel, Stetson
* Dial: Purex
* Helene Curtis Industries: Finesse, Salon Selectives, Thermasilk
* Johnson & Johnson: Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena
* Kimberley-Clark Corp: Cottonelle, Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Pull-Ups, Scott Paper
* L’Oreal USA: Biotherm, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Lancome, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy
* Malaleauca
* Olay
* Pantene
* Pfizer: Ben Gay, Listerine, Lubriderm, Plax, Visine
* Playtex: Baby Magic, Banana Boat, Ogilvie
* Proctor & Gamble: Cover Girl, Crest, Iams, Max Factor, Tide
* Reckitt Benckiser: Easy Off, Lysol, Mop & Glo, Old English, Resolve, Spray N’ Wash, Veet, Woolite, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl’s
* S.C. Johnson: Drano, Edge, Fantastik, Glade, OFF!, Oust, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Skintimate, Windex, Ziploc
* 3M: Post-it, Scotch
* Unilever: Axe, Dove, Lever, Suave

Queen of Green Lindsay Coulter was featured in CTV’s The Toxic Truth . Watch the video here .

Cheryl Swan of Calgary, Alberta writes:

I stopped buying into this cosmetic industry’s claims in 2002 and it changed my life (I have a lot more money left at the end of each month, for one thing). I only wish I could get my friends and co-workers on board with the idea of giving up their expensive cosmetics and other beauty products, but they all think I am just "preaching".

I once read that the cosmetic industry is a $30 billion business in North America, and it was pointed out in the article, that every night the users are washing these products off and sending them down the drain and into the sewer systems. If preservatives (and other toxins) are being added to beauty products to prevent the natural decay of plant and fruit extracts within those products, what exactly happens when these products are put into our sewer system? Have there been any studies done on the effects these products are having on the environment (our river beds, city water supplies, etc.). Do they break down? Do they end up in our tap water and ultimately ingested by us?

Lindsay Coulter responds:

Sounds like you stopped exposing yourself to the chemical soup a while back! I’m sure you’re aware of these facts but perhaps you want to pass them on to your friends:

• The average adult uses nine products/day containing about 126 chemical ingredients; some women use 15!
• About 10,500 chemical ingredients make up our personal care products.
• Only 11 per cent have been tested for safety.
• Tests aren’t done by agencies like Health Canada, but by the companies themselves!
If you want to get away from preaching, suggest friends or family members check their personal care products on the Skin Deep website at www.safecosmetics.org.

In Canada, the industry runs at about $5.3 billion annually, and you’re correct in making the wildlife and aquatic life link. You can learn a lot more about their impact in various websites and books, like Ecoholic. Author Adria Vasil includes many facts about chemicals we use on our bodies and their impacts on the environment. Definitely worth the read is her chapter on pharmaceuticals and things like the results of birth-control-pill-laden pee going into our sewage system.
There have been a lot of studies and I’ll highlight only a few facts below since unfortunately, there are too many to mention:
• Swedish Society for Nature Conservation did a study with dandruff shampoo and fish in a 1,000 L aquarium. The active ingredient of interest was zinc pyrithione and half the fish died within four days. Although the ingredients are said to breakdown in water, 80 days later they could still detect it.
• Triclosan is the chemical you’ll find in antibacterial soaps. It is accumulating in our rivers and sewage sludge where it can turn into carcinogenic dioxins when exposed to sunlight in water. If your county or municipality spreads sludge on food crop fields as fertilizer then, yes, you could say it may end up in the food chain.
To help convince your friends, why not host a fun spa day? I also make up batches of safe cosmetics and cleaning supplies and give them as gifts.
On the upside, some nail salons use polish without toluene and formaldehyde, which is great not just for clients but also because they’re finding estheticians and hair dressers (exposed to hair dye) will high levels of illness.
Here’s a book that may interest you, it’s called ‘Not Just a Pretty Face”: http://www.notjustaprettyface.org/?cat=3

Comments on the May 2008 Newsletter: Putting on a Green Face

I used to purchase Ucerin, a lovely "natural" facial cream made up at the local pharmacy. The last time I purchased this product I broke out in a horrible, red, itchy rash all over my face. I researched on the net and talked with the pharmacist, and much to my astonishment, a product was added to the cream to add to its shelf life. This horrid product was propylene glycol! This product is antifreeze! Imagine ANTIFREEZE in a facial cream! The pharmacist was actually not very sympathetic and went along with the idea of extending a product’s shelf life. I wonder, though, if, deep inside, she found this rather revolting as well! This chemical is also found, abundantly, in shampoos as well as many other products.

I believe we are taking this all too lightly and consumers should be made more aware of this danger. I honestly cannot find a shampoo that does NOT have this nasty chemical. I am outraged that this is the case; we should be "up-in-arms" about such deadly chemicals in the products we purchase.

It would be great if we could induce the manufacturers/government to prohibit the use of these chemicals in toiletry items. I wonder how many chemicals are in baby products these days?

Eleanor Card , Kentville Nova Scotia