Radox is known for its fresh and invigorating scents and cinematic advertisements. However, is Radox really worthy of all this praise? With the growing awareness of the effects our industries have on the environment, we are urged more and more to be in the loop when it comes to what brands participate in animal testing and what brands are intrinsically against animal cruelty.
Radox, to put it plainly, is not cruelty-free. Radox operates under Unilever, a global giant in the nutrition and personal care industry. With over 400 brands in over 100 countries, it is almost inevitable that they have some vegan and cruelty-free companies operating beneath their umbrella – however, they themselves have no certification confirming they are cruelty-free.
Unilever And Radox: A History
Established in 1908 and available worldwide, Radox has been a major player in the bath and body industry since before most of us even existed. In 1938, the United States Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act was signed into law, creating a legal obligation for companies under these categories to pass certain health and safety tests – this was the beginning of animal testing in the US as well as many other countries worldwide.
Unilever and Radox are no exception to this rule, participating in animal testing for a majority of their existence.
Unilever made a statement against animal testing; however, the wording seems to leave some questions about how deep their dedication runs: “We don’t agree that existing ingredients with a long history of safe use and manufacture need further testing on animals.” Whilst this is a promising statement, they seem to admit that animal testing was a necessary endeavour in product testing, which is historically essential but is now outdated.
Ambiguity In Their Policies
“Unilever’s work to develop alternatives to animal testing started over 40 years ago when company leaders recognised that animal tests to assure the safety of cosmetics were simply not acceptable from an ethical perspective.” Julia Fentem, a Unilever employee, has been an advocate for cruelty-free testing since 1998, and has steered
Unilever as a whole in the direction of alternative means of product testing. In 2018, Dove became the first Unilever brand to be certified as cruelty-free by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), followed by 29 other brands including TRESemmé, Suave and Simple.
Unilever has undoubtedly made leaps and bounds in the right direction, but there are obvious cracks in their reputation. Radox is, for one, not listed in any cruelty-free websites and does not have the PETA stamp of approval. In fact, it is public knowledge that they test on animals, in addition to other extremely popular Unilever brands such as:
Lux,Sunsilk, andToni & Guy
Radox has stated that they “do not perform animal testing for the vast majority of our products”, and that “wherever possible, we avoid animal testing”. “In some limited cases, there are no practical alternatives to animal testing, and we use outside facilities to do the testing.” This tells the reader everything they need to know about Radox’s values, and ultimately their positioning, in relation to animal cruelty and animal testing.
They say that they are against animal testing unless it is necessary, but the idea that it is ever necessary, especially in the age we live in, where it is paramount to the survival of our planet to treat the natural world with respect, is unacceptable.
Next Steps
Unfortunately, we have built most of our major industries on the commodification of the natural world, so escaping animal testing is near-impossible. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips 24/7, and all of us have a responsibility to be aware of what products are cruelty-free – ones that truly are, and do not just claim to be.
Despite the difficulties in discerning what products we can ethically use, it is our duty to increase our awareness and thus decrease our support of companies that employ unethical testing methods, amongst many other things.
Unilever’s policies, codes and sourcing information can be found at https://www.unilever.com/planet-and-society/protect-and-regenerate-nature/sustainable-and-regenerative-sourcing/, which we can use to inform ourselves on various ingredients and methods such as their use of soy and palm oil. As consumers, we can also take action and sign petitions, such as the ones found on Change.org.
Conclusion
Despite Unilever’s supposed dedication to banning animal cruelty, Radox and many other companies continue to test on animals. The best way to combat animal cruelty is to stay informed and to take action – only that can create change for a cruelty-free future.
Should we boycott all companies that test on animals?
This is a tricky issue to confront. Some people do not have access to alternative products, but those that do should try as far as possible to source ethical products.
What alternatives are there to animal testing?
Testing on human volunteers is one alternative method. Others include in vitro testing on human cells in a lab, and sophisticated computer-modelling techniques. For more information on this topic, you can use: https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/alternatives-animal-testing/#:~:text=These%20alternatives%20to%20animal%20testing,and%20studies%20with%20human%20volunteers.
What is the real meaning of “cruelty-free”?
Cruelty-free essentially means that a product or company has not played a role in testing on animals or harming them in any way. As we know, this is not always the case, so more specific language such as “not tested on animals” is preferred so that companies make a more specific claim and are held to that.
