Rituals cosmetics. Sold in China?

[Elizabeth_rb]

Hi guys! 

 

I'm a long time forum member, albeit a quiet one recently, but I also maintain a cruelty free cosmetics list. One of the criteria, given the animal testing laws in China, is that products mustn't be sold on the Chinese high street.

 

One company that concerned consumers are having a hard time getting a straight answer out of is Rituals Cosmetics. They'll freely say they have no stores in China, but won't answer if their products are sold in other stores there, leafing to doubt. Can you forum members who live out please there tell me if you've ever seen Rituals Cosmetics products on the shelves when you've been out and about?

 

Many thanks for your time and help.

[ChTTay]

Being stocked in other stores isn’t really much of a useful indicator. I certainly wouldn’t boycott them based on that. You see body shop stuff in random market stalls in China. It’s either knock off or they have a contact who ships the stuff in from somewhere else. 

 

You can get the brand you mention on taobao but, as above, doesn’t mean much. My girlfriend says she’s never seen it in any shops. 

[Shelley]

I have found the best way to solve this problem is not to buy any cosmetics, I don't use anything except body and hand moisturiser and even then sparingly. Its not only because of the animal testing but the whole fashion world which I consider frivolous and a huge waste of money and resources.

 

There are also cosmetics, body and face washes that contain micro beads which are causing havoc on the wildlife on land and especially in the seas, rivers etc. They also put them in some cleaning products, which again most of are totally unnecessary and can be replaced with natural cleaning agents and a bit of elbow grease.

 

Sorry for the slight rant and deviation from topic.

 

 

[Elizabeth_rb]

Thanks very much for checking! Appreciate it. I don't rate what appears on market stalls anywhere, TBH, because of dubious origins (as you rightly point out) and that I doubt they're subject to the same post-market testing at high street stores. Also, what's sold there is unlikely to be controllable by the manufacturer. Interesting though.

 

I agree Shelley about eco concerns, media and wastage etc. I've never come across micro beads in any products I've used. I enjoy some cosmetics, but I'm choosy and a flattering number of people rely on my blog cruelty free list, so I want to make sure it's as accurate as I can make it. 

[Shelley]

50 minutes ago, Elizabeth_rb said:

I want to make sure it's as accurate as I can make it. 

Well done.

[edelweis]

23 hours ago, Elizabeth_rb said:

One of the criteria, given the animal testing laws in China, is that products mustn't be sold on the Chinese high street.

 

I find this a little confusing.

How does a product not being sold in China guarantee it wasn't tested on animals in China?

How does a product being sold in China imply it was tested on animals?

[Elizabeth_rb]

Hi edelweis! Yeah, it is a bit convoluted, but I'll try and elucidate a bit.

 

Current law in China is that all foreign made cosmetic products, with the exception of soap and toothpaste, must be tested on animals in Chinese labs before it can be marketed on the Chinese high street at the expense of the foreign manufacturer (i.e. they have to pay for the tests). 

 

If the product was made in China, the manufacturer can avoid the problem of pre-market animal testing - leading to some manufacturers having set up operations there. However, an unfortunate thing is that these products are then subjected to post-market testing where products will be taken from store shelves and then submitted to animal testing. This led to companies' like Burt's Bees recent withdrawal from the Chinese market. They didn't have to pay for the tests themselves, but they found that the tests were still carried out, so they pulled out. (Insert thumbs up emoji here!!)

 

Foreign manufacturers know that this situation exists in China and so have to make a decision: money or ethics. A potential customer base of multi millions or declining to submit animals to unnecessary torture. Many companies have chosen the money and so many consumers in other countries won't buy from them anymore.  If a foreign product is sold on the Chinese high street, it *will* have been tested on animals in Chinese labs, which also carry a poor reputation for humane standards.....

 

That probably answers your 2nd question and maybe sheds some light on the first. Animal testing is banned in many countries and Chinese law requires only that the importer gets their products tested in China for sale on the Chinese physical market (bizarrely, these laws don't apply to online sales whether the product is bought via a Chinese or a foreign website), and, as the manufacturers have to pay for these tests, it's unlikely they would do so if they weren't interested in the Chinese market. Does that make any sense?? Not sure if I've been clear.

 

All the best.

[edelweis]

Thanks for the explanation.

[hoshinoumi]

https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/cruelty-free-101/faq/

OP is indeed very well informed on the topic. I'd advice you only buy cosmetics in official stores, since buying elsewhere there's the risk of knock-offs (safe???). If you can, shop overseas from brands you know are 100% cruelty free and then bring them with you in your luggage. Everything bought in China ISN'T cruelty free.