Forever Against Animal Testing

We’ve been fighting against animal testing for more than three decades.

Fighting animal testing should be a genuine practice. We believe in only buying ingredients from companies that don’t commission tests on animals, and we only test our products on human volunteers—beliefs that are a company-wide policy.

It’s no longer a legal requirement to test cosmetics and their ingredients on animals. Science has come a long way and there are now roughly 20,000 established cosmetic ingredients that have already been deemed safe. There are also a growing number of proven, non-animal test methods that are scientifically superior, faster and cheaper. For instance, a few groups have developed 3D human skin models that can fully replace rabbits for skin irritation testing—and it’s proving to be even more predictable for human reactions.

Our goal is to continue to inform, encourage and participate in the fight for animal rights. We’re passionate about the quality of our products and the safety of our customers, so we happily comply with federal safety standards. We also support the development and validation of non-animal tests and campaign against legislation that requires animals to be experimented on.

Our strict policy is unique, but we want our peers in the cosmetics industry and our customers to adopt the same stance. We encourage you to boycott cosmetics companies that engage in animal testing.

The Lush Prize

We’ve spoken out against animal testing, but for years most of our efforts had been focused on our own policy and avoiding animal testing. Then, in 2012, we decided to put our money where our mouths are and created the Lush Prize.

Awarded annually, this cruelty-free initiative aims to bring forth and support those working to create alternatives to testing without the need for animals. A £250,000 prize fund, the biggest prize in the alternative testing sector, awards the most effective projects and individuals who have been working towards the goal of replacing animals in product or ingredient safety testing across five areas:

• Science
• Training
• Lobbying
• Public Awareness
• Young Researchers

The Black Box Prize

As part of the Lush Prize, the Black Box Prize awards any group or individual the full £250,000 prize fund for major breakthroughs in their research on human toxicity pathways—an area that focuses on the chain of events that follow when a toxic chemical first interacts with cells in the body. Successes in this area help drive change to replacing the old, imprecise testing on animals that many currently (and unnecessarily) rely on.

As we continue to grow as a company, this is one of the most powerful things we can do to make a difference. Choosing not to purchase products tested on animals, cosmetic or otherwise, sends a strong message to the industry and government, encouraging them to stop this cruel and unnecessary practice. Learn more about past winners, future nominees and more at lushprize.org.