MAC Cosmetics Now Tests On Animals

MAC cosmetics have prided themselves on being cruelty-free for years, and the company counts Pamela Anderson as one of their spokespeople. However, Page Six reports that the cosmetics company has started testing their products on animals in China, a country which requires all imported cosmetics to be tested on animals. Anderson fired off the following letter to MAC, which she reprinted on her Instagram:

The Pamela Anderson Foundation August 27, 2015 John Demsey Group President The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Dear John, I hope you're well. We've known each other for a long time, and I've always admired you for embracing M.A.C. Cosmetics as a pioneer in cruelty-free makeup. That's why I was so proud to be a Viva Glam M.A.C. girl in 2004. But the buzz is much different now, and you know I can't bite my tongue. I'm writing today out of great disappointment that M·A·C has abandoned its celebrated policy against animal testing. When I worked with M.A.C., I found it to be a very progressive and forward-thinking company. That's why I was very disturbed to learn from PETA that M.A.C., under your direction at Estée Lauder, is selling products in China, where the company funds painful tests on animals in order to meet the country's archaic regulations. This has tainted the brand and alienated many of the company's longtime allies. But I have faith in you. Won't you join brands like Urban Decay, Dermalogica, Nature's Gate, Pangea Organics, and Juice Beauty, which have pulled out of China until the country updates its testing policies, as Europe has, to eliminate animal testing? Hundreds of thousands of rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, and other animals are killed in cruel tests for cosmetics in China every year. These tests aren't required in the U.S. and are illegal in the European Union, India, and Israel. Animals are confined to small barren cages and suffer immensely as they have substances dripped into their eyes, rubbed onto their raw shaved skin, or forced down their throats. The tests are conducted without any painkillers, and the animals are killed after the tests are over. As an honorary director of PETA and a former M.A.C. spokesperson, I urge you to pull out of the Chinese market until the country's testing methods are modernized like those of much of the rest of the world. Corporate leaders can make this happen. Won't you restore M.A.C. to its former glory as a brand with principles? I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Pamela Anderson #love #nostigma #vivaglam #crueltyfree

A photo posted by The Pamela Anderson Foundation (@pamelaanderson) on Aug 27, 2015 at 1:51pm PDT