Say NO to Cruel Cosmetics

Thanks to decades of campaigning by the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), cosmetics made in the European Union are no longer allowed to be tested on animals. However, such products made outside the EU can still be marketed & sold here. Europe was due to be free of all new animal tested cosmetics by 2013, but, as a result of pressure from the cosmetics industry, officials are now considering extending this deadline. In response to this threat, my friend & fellow artist & animal lover, Annette Tait, has started the ‘Bun Blog Pledge‘.

Ms Rabbit, the ambassador for the Bun Blog Pledge, has been travelling around blog land since the end of January, & this week I was delighted when she decided to hop through our letterbox after a trip down South to visit Charlotte & her pet rabbit Humphrey at Cottontails. Ms Rabbit was a little bit nervous when she heard she would be cohabiting with two greyhounds this week, but I assured her they had promised to be on their best behaviour! After adding my signature to her (& of course to the online petition organised by BUAV), I let Ms Rabbit loose in our bathroom to take a nosey round the assortment of cosmetics we have in there…

First stop was the bathroom cabinet, where Ms Rabbit was delighted to find toiletries made by Chain Bridge Honey Farm (hand cream), Crystal Spring (deodorant), daysoft (contact lenses), Earth Friendly Baby (baby wipes) Faith in Nature (deodorant), Green People (sunscreen), Kingfisher (toothpaste) Lush (moisturiser) Marks and Spencer (lip balm), Natracare (tampons) & Wikaniko (face wash), none of whom test their products (or the components thereof) on animals. She was particularly impressed by the bars of cold process soap made by Martin & Is’ own fair hands! What better way to ensure the cosmetics you use are not tested on animals, than to make them yourself? That way you are in control of exactly what goes into them.

Next Ms Rabbit hopped down from the cabinet & into the shower, where she was distracted for a moment by the pretty glass fish hanging there (handmade by Jo Whitehead of Glassprimitif), before busying herself taking stock of what toiletries were lurking in there. She gave a paws up to the cruelty free products we use made by Lush (shower gel & shampoo), Method (shower cleaner) & Wikaniko (conditioner). I told Ms Rabbit that I was particularly fond of Lush products because of their recent campaign against greyhound racing, & had been the lucky enough to receive a whole gift box full of Lush goodies from my brother-in-law-to-be, Philip, at Christmas time.  When she found our bottle of Serendipity Herbals pet shampoo she started to feel a little vulnerable positioned underneath the shower head, but I assured her that I would not be using the shampoo on her & only ever used it on Max & Molly when they got really dirty (about once or twice a year)!

After all that hard work, Ms Rabbit was ready to curl up on the sofa with Max & Molly, who were true to their word & stuck to sniffing rather than chasing her! Here at Max and Molly Designs we not only love greyhounds but care about the welfare of all animals, & pledge to say NO to cruel cosmetics. You can say no too by signing the petition & by making sure the cosmetics you use are not tested on animals. If you are not sure then you can easily check which products are cruelty free here.

If you’d like to invite Ms Rabbit into your home & take the Bun Blog Pledge too, please contact Annette by via her blog, & she will add you to Ms Rabbit’s itinerary In the meantime, she is packing her bags again & heading off to visit Gill & her bunnies, Daisy & Archie.

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