Ethical beauty champions Dove and The Body Shop are calling on consumers across Europe to take a stand against cosmetics testing on animals with a bold new initiative.
The controversial announcement was made last week by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) that animal tests could once again be permitted in the region, threatening to undermine a decades-long struggle that culminated in the ban of all animal testing and the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals in 2013.
In response, Dove and The Body Shop have teamed up with Netherlands-based artist and activist Nina Valkhoff to create a striking new artwork that will be displayed via a mural in the centre of Paris, France, as well as being illuminated across key landmarks in European cities Berlin, Madrid and Milan over the coming week in an effort to inspire consumers to take action against animal testing.
The two brands are urging European consumers to take action against the suffering of animals by signing a European Citizens Initiative petition to uphold the European ban on animal testing, in partnership with leading animal rights organisations including PETA, Cruelty Free Europe, Humane Society International (HSI and affiliates), Eurogroup for Animals and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE).
Firdaous El Honsali, Senior Director of Global Communications and Sustainability at Dove, said: “At Dove, we stand passionately against animal cruelty. We strongly believe that there is no role for animal testing for beauty products or their ingredients and have pioneered safe and humane alternatives to assess the safety of products and ingredients for many years.
“Together with our partners The Body Shop and leading animal protection groups, we urge both our peers in the beauty industry and the general public to lend their voice in the fight to end animal testing in the EU once and for all by signing this European Citizens Initiative.”
The Unilever-owned body care stalwart has been certified cruelty-free since 2018 and is a long-standing supporter of global bans against animal testing alongside Natura's The Body Shop, which famously became the first global beauty brand to campaign against animal testing in 1989 and has been at the forefront of the current pan-European ban as well as rallying 8.3 million people to sign a petition to end animal testing globally in 2018.
Christopher Davis, Global CSR and Activism Director at The Body Shop International, added: “The Body Shop was the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing in cosmetics and this commitment has been at the forefront of our activist campaigns for over three decades.
“Today, we are calling the EU – home to the world’s largest cosmetics market – to stick to the trailblazing promise they made.
“We are proud to collaborate with Dove and speak as one voice, along with all those working towards a global end to animal testing for cosmetics, in support of this European Citizen’s Initiative.”