Coty Inc. on Animal Testing

After the news came out that Coty Inc. (the parent company of Rimmel, N.Y.C., and Sally Hansen, among many others) had acquired OPI, many nail bloggers posted with concerns about Coty's animal testing policy. I was curious, and decided to look it up myself. However, everything I found was either vague, lacking evidence, or outdated. I didn't want to brush off the animal testing concerns because there was no solid evidence that it occurs, but neither did I want to attack Coty for something it wasn't clear they actually do. So, I went to Coty's comments and questions page and sent in a query as to whether or not Coty does animal testing, hoping for some sort of conclusive answer. While the letter I received today wasn't as decisive as I would have liked, it does make me feel better about continuing to buy Coty products. They did spell my last name wrong, but then again, almost everyone does. ;) Here's the letter in full - I thought about just posting a segment, but I thought it would be more impartial to post the whole thing. I bolded parts I think are particularly relevant.

Dear Ms. Petrovic,


Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the use of animals in product safety testing. We at Coty Inc. share your respect for life, and we are committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of human safety while eliminating the need for animal testing. 


Coty Inc. does not conduct animal testing. This is accomplished by selecting raw materials of the highest quality with well-established safety records and using extensive ingredient databases, in-vitro testing, computer modeling and studies with human volunteers. In fact, to ensure human safety all our products are clinically tested as needed on humans before they are sold in the marketplace.


Our research and development team has pioneered safety tests and alternative testing methods in order to eliminate the need for animal testing. However, there may be rare occurrences when a government or regulatory agency may indicate to the Cosmetics Industry that an animal study is necessary, where no validated alternative exists, to ensure consumer protection for a component of our products. In such cases, the need for testing is carefully examined by our Industry and if the test must be performed, it is strictly controlled.


Coty Inc. has been actively involved in the search for alternative methods of testing for many years and we support industry research programs such as those conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, the European Chemical Industry Ecology and Toxicology Centre (ECETOC), the European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (COLIPA) and the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC).


Thank you for taking the time to write to us.


Sincerely,


Corporate Communications


And because it wouldn't be a very interesting post without any pictures, here's what I added to my thumbnail today (I used Orly Luxe for the stripes and added one coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment on top):

indoors, artificial light

I'm experimenting with watermarking...I don't like this very much. Eh.

Anyway, what do you think about the Coty/OPI animal testing issue, and animal testing in general? Has the letter I got changed your views at all? I'm curious!