Still Fighting Animal Testing

Every year, more than 100 million animals are killed in North American laboratories.

Along with drug trials and medical training, a portion of these animals undergo cruel tests in the name of cosmetics testing—a fact that we’ve been fighting for decades.

Not only are animal tests for cosmetics inhumane, they’re also ineffective. Data collected in the name of science doesn’t necessarily predict the reactions that humans may have, so isn’t a good indication of safety for human use.

The Campaign

Each of our shops around the world became a campaign center where we provided education about animal testing in the cosmetics industry. In North America, we partnered with Humane Society International, Animal Alliance of Canada and the Humane Society of the United States and encouraged customers to sign a petition against cosmetics animal testing in their home country.

In addition to our retail campaign, we also launched the first annual Lush Prize: a £250,000 fund awarded to scientists, lobbyists and researchers working towards cruelty-free alternatives to animal testing.

The Outcome

Through our retail campaign, we educated thousands of customers about animal testing in North America, and on November 15, 2012 we announced the winners of the first-ever Lush Prize. The prize, the largest in the alternative testing sector, is now be awarded annually to help those working on new methods of testing for cosmetics in a way that doesn’t exploit animals.