ABSOLUTELY NO ANIMAL TESTING!

Every jar of Infinite Aloe Brand Aloe Vera Cream wears the Leaping Bunny logo, the only internationally recognized symbol of “Cruelty Free.” While there are no government standards for animal testing, we hold ourselves to a higher standard.

This regulated logo guarantees that neither Infinite Aloe Brand Aloe Vera Cream, nor any of our ingredient suppliers have used Animal Testing at any stage of the product development. This commitment to avoid animal testing is made in the interest of our clients and the environment.

What is the Leaping Bunny Logo?

The Leaping Bunny Logo is the only internationally recognized logo guaranteeing consumers that no animal tests were used in the development/production of any product carrying the Logo as of the date of compliance. The Logo can be seen on packaging, advertising, and point-of-sale purchases for cosmetics and household products around the world.

Why is the Logo important?

• American consumers want it. Respondents to a 1996 poll overwhelmingly stated that they are more likely to buy a product that indicated it was not tested on animals. More than 58% of women surveyed indicated it was important to know which companies are not now testing on animals, even though virtually all ingredients have been tested on animals in the past.

• It is becoming increasingly necessary as more non-compliant companies advocate "not tested on animals" or "cruelty free" claims and icons without the assurances offered by certification with CCIC.

CCIC Leads the Way ... to Cruelty-Free Cosmetics
By Michelle Thew and Karen Hirsch

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but we all know cruelty when we see it. Testing beauty products on animals is the very height of cruelty. Every year, the testing of cosmetics and other personal care and household products brings intense pain, suffering, and death to millions of animals globally.

When Michelle Thew took the helm of API last year, it became the perfect opportunity for us to get more involved in the issue of cosmetics testing. For many years, Michelle was Chief Executive of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), and led campaigns to end the testing of personal care products on animals in the United Kingdom and across Europe.

With Michelle’s arrival on the other side of the Atlantic, API has now taken a leading role in the fight against animal testing in the U.S. by assuming the position of Chair of the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC). Through a comprehensive anti-animal testing standard and internationally-recognized "cruelty-free" logo, CCIC works with companies to make shopping for truly animal-friendly products simple and reliable.

What Is Animal Testing?

Many people mistakenly believe that cosmetics and other personal care products are no longer tested on animals. Sadly, that’s not yet the case.

Each year, products ranging from lipstick and nail polish to shampoo and shaving cream to detergent and furniture polish are needlessly tested on animals. Animals commonly used in these tests include rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and rats.

One of the appalling procedures used by manufacturers is the painful Draize test, in which immobilized animals have potential irritants dropped into their eyes or applied to their skin without benefit of anesthesia. In acute toxicity tests, another common procedure, animals are forced to ingest or are injected with a substance until a predetermined percentage of "subjects" die of poisoning.

Neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires that beauty and household products be tested on animals. Animal testing is wholly unnecessary; product safety can be assured through viable non-animal alternatives (such as in-vitro testing or computer modeling) and pre-existing data. Future testing is needless and preventable.

In 2003, the European Union passed a ban on the testing of cosmetics on animals, to be implemented in 2009. This law will also gradually prohibit the sale of new cosmetics that have been tested on animals, with a complete sales ban to be in force by 2013. API feels that the time to end cosmetics testing in the U.S. has arrived.

What is the CCIC?

The CCIC is a coalition of eight animal protection groups whose purpose is to promote a meaningful, reliable anti-animal–testing standard and logo for cosmetics, personal care, and household products.

By 1996, when the CCIC formed, "cruelty-free" shopping had become so popular as to become confusing for consumers. Many companies labeled their products as "cruelty-free" or "not tested on animals," but devised their own definitions of such terms without input from animal advocates. In response, several national animal protection groups banded together to form the CCIC, with the goal of promoting a single comprehensive standard and an internationally recognized logo.

Following in the footsteps of the Doris Day Animal League, CCIC’s previous chair, API is honored to lead this powerful coalition whose members include the American Anti-Vivisection Society, American Humane Association, Beauty Without Cruelty, Doris Day Animal League, The Humane Society of the United States, New England Anti-Vivisection Society, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The CCIC also works closely with its international partners, the Animal Alliance of Canada and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments.

What Does the CCIC Do?

Through the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals and the "Leaping Bunny" logo, the CCIC assures compassionate consumers that the cosmetics, personal care, and household products they purchase are truly free of animal testing.

Before the CCIC, U.S. consumers wishing to purchase cosmetics not tested on animals were often misled by vague labels such as "cruelty-free" and "not tested on animals" — claims not backed by a uniform standard or rigorous certification program.

When a product carries the Leaping Bunny logo, it means that the manufacturer has signed the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals. The Corporate Standard is a voluntary pledge that companies make to not test on animals during any stage of product development. The company’s ingredient suppliers make the same pledge, and the result is a product guaranteed to be 100 percent free of new animal testing. Companies renew their commitment on an annual basis.

Every company that wishes to use the Leaping Bunny logo agrees to submit to an independent and confidential audit to determine the validity of their ban on animal testing. These audits act as a "watchdog" for consumers. To date, all conducted audits have shown that companies using the Leaping Bunny logo have lived up to the promises made in the Corporate Standard.

In a recent report, The Consumers Union (the independent nonprofit testing and information organization that publishes Consumer Reports), called the Leaping Bunny logo "highly meaningful," based on its research and analysis. The Consumers Union evaluated various product labels on consistency and verification of meaning, public availability of information, and the administering organization’s transparency and freedom from conflicts of interest. This is high praise from a highly respected program!

What Can I Do?

You can make a difference for animals every time you shop! When in the market for cosmetics, personal care, or household products, be sure to buy from companies that have signed CCIC’s Corporate Standard. Patronize companies listed in CCIC’s Shopping Guide or just look for the Leaping Bunny logo.

The CCIC Shopping Guide is available online at www.leapingbunny.org; you can also receive a copy by calling 888-546-CCIC, or by emailing to  info@leapingbunny.org.

If the companies that make your favorite personal care products have not yet signed the CCIC Corporate Standard, encourage them to do so! You can also encourage local stores to prominently display cruelty-free items. For more information on how to spread the word about CCIC, just go to the CCIC website or just give us a call.

Remember: Beauty begins with compassion. By being a compassionate consumer, you can save the lives of countless animals.

Buy the Bunny!

Want to save animals every time you shop? The CCIC makes it easy — just look for the Leaping Bunny logo on cosmetics, personal care, and household products. When you "buy the bunny," you can be assured that you are buying a product completely free from any new animal testing.

Beware of impostors, though! In response to consumer demands for "cruelty-free" products, some companies have designed their own "bunny" labels, which abide by unverifiable definitions and standards. Only the "Leaping Bunny" means that a product adheres to the CCIC Corporate Standard of Compassion, a comprehensive agreement that covers not only the finished product, but all of the product’s ingredients, as well.