Wednesday 16 November 2016

My Thoughts On Parent Companies



Yesterday morning whilst scrolling my Twitter feed I pretty soon became aware of the news that the much loved cruelty free makeup brand Too Faced has now been acquired by Estee Lauder in a reported 1.45 billion dollar deal. If you didn't already know Estee Lauder already own other cosmetic companies such as MAC and they're considered by many to be one of the worst and most unethical brands when it comes to animal testing. 

For many of us this was terrible news to wake up to and it definitely sparked some outrage.  

That being said, Too Faced co-founder Jerrod Blandino was quick to reassure fans of the brand that despite this take over they will indeed remain a cruelty free brand. 


Twitter soon came alive with many arguments for and against continuing to support Too Faced going forward and whether or not we should indeed consider boycotting them completely. 

When it comes to parent companies I have always found that everyone has differing opinions and it really does seem to be one of those issues within the cruelty free lifestyle community that is completely a personal choice. It's not always as black and white as it initially seems and it is also a tricky subject. 

I have always been quite open in the fact that I will still buy from a cruelty free brand regardless of the parent company because I feel that it's ultimately really important to show a demand for both cruelty free and vegan brands. Otherwise how will the big shots ever get the message that people don't want cosmetics to be tested on animals? For me personally the most important thing is that the product itself is completely cruelty free.

If a cruelty free brand is owned by a non CF parent company this doesn't change their status - they are still cruelty free! If you hear or see anyone saying different this is purely based on their own morals and feelings with regards to parent companies.   

It worries me that if a cruelty free brand is completely boycotted what message they will take from this? I guess it could go one way or another but my concern is that they'll end up viewing it as a failing brand and either shut it down completely or change it beyond recognition.  

I think we need to accept that this is sadly going to happen more and more. It's something i've seen happening with smaller vegan/dairy free food companies too as clearly the bigger corporations can see what way the market is headed and they want in on the action. It's also already happened with other much loved beauty brands, for example The Body Shop who were taken over by the non cruelty free parent company L'oreal in 2006. 

But where do we draw the line? 

I often eat vegan friendly meals in restaurants that serve a variety of different foods, meat included, because it's convenient and I like the food. So in essence by choosing to dine there people could potentially say that I am supporting the slaughter of innocent animals. I personally don't think I am, instead I feel that I am showing a demand for vegetarian and vegan friendly options in commercial and chain restaurants, which is something I always hear so many vegans saying they want to see more of.

If a vegan meal is served within a restaurant also serving meat, is the meal no longer considered vegan?

In an ideal world I would love to have 100% vegan only cafe's on every corner but unless I move to Brighton that won't be the case for me anytime soon! 

I used the example yesterday on Twitter that people had best stop shopping for their food in supermarkets too if they're considering boycotting a brand because of its parent company. I said this because even if you are buying vegan and cruelty free products in a shop that also stocks meat, dairy and other non CF products then you are still lining the pockets of the big and unethical companies that you are so against.

The same could be applied to one of our favourite stores Superdrug. Just because they stock non CF brands too does that mean that we should stop shopping there? 

You really do have to question where you personally decide to draw the line because there can be so many unassuming faults with particular lifestyle choices. To be honest, and when I think really deeply on it, I'm not even sure if the 'perfect' cruelty free lifestyle can ever be achieved by any of us.    

You do what you can and you do your best. You hope that your more ethical lifestyle choices will eventually make a difference.   

I really respect anyone who feels that they can lead a completely cruelty free lifestyle and I take my hat off to those who choose to limit their choices in order to only buy from non owned brands. It's a horrible feeling to think that your money could be funding animal testing, especially when we are so against it! I get that. And I completely understand and respect everyones opinions on this matter.

But you also need to know that you're doing a great job just by shopping for cruelty free brands in the first place. I see so many big bloggers and vloggers promoting non CF products on a daily basis that it really does hit home what an amazing job we are already doing by simply deciding to shop cruelty free. We are certainly not in the majority and this is something I would personally love to see changing soon. 

No one should ever be put off the idea of going cruelty free because it's viewed as such a difficult choice to make. In reality it's really not and it's something i've managed, and enjoyed managing, for over two years now. There are an abundance of cruelty free brands out there and you only have to check out Logical Harmony's Cruelty Free Brand List to see the amount of choice there is available within the world of makeup and beauty.    

I haven't wrote this post because I am a die hard Too Faced fan. In fact, and if you watch my vlogs you will already know this, I have in the past felt that they are a little too gimmicky for my liking and I really wasn't a fan of their best selling 'Better Than Sex Mascara'. I do however use their 'Born This Way' foundation which I maintain is the best vegan friendly and cruelty free one I have ever tried. 

In all honesty I could take them or leave them but I am choosing not to avoid them because that's personally the right decision for me and I wouldn't want to see the demise of a really popular cruelty free brand. 

Lets just hope that Too Faced stick to their promise of not changing their cruelty free status and not selling in China. If this ever changes then I will of course boycott them. 

How do you feel about the Too Faced takeover?

Will you still support a brand regardless of the parent company? 

I'd love to hear your views and opinions on this hot topic of the moment so please comment below and let me know, or tweet me @thevnicelife!      
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8 comments

  1. Yes to all of this! I'm of the stance that unfortunately, business is business and the market will always go where the demand is. When a company like Estée Lauder takes over a brand for every one person boycotting there'll be another hundred non-cf consumers buying in as more gets invested in the brand and unfortunately that's just how it goes. I'd rather be supporting parent owned companies that stand strong in staying out of China than boycott because the bigwigs need to see that trend to manipulate the market.

    I would just love to live only in produce from organic farmers markets and plaster myself in all natural, vegan, cf makeup but my lifestyle (and budget) means that just isn't realistic for me (and so many others) and mostly I just really wish that people would stop trying to turn everything into an "I'm more ethical than you" debate. Educate people and do better where you can.

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  2. Agreed. I will still support a brand owned by a non cf parent company, as long as the brand i'm supporting stays cruelty free.

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  3. i'm so torn when it comes to this topic but this really made me reflect on parent companies. like you mentioned about eating at non vegan resturants and i have the same views as you that it creates more of a demand. it makes sense to apply this to other areas of animal cruelty such as makeup brands. it is unfortunate that more and more brands are partnering with brands that lack ethics and in an ideal world this wouldn't happen but it is becoming the norm and it will always be better to stand with a cruelty free brand even if it is taken over by a company. thankyou, you've made me reconsider some of my views on this topic :)

    http://www.thewhimsicalwildling.com/

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  4. I have been so torn all week but I think I agree with you! I am still going to buy from brands like Too Faced because it is important to show a demand in products. I wish we could all just live in a world where no animal testing is involved though :) xx

    Yasmina | The July Journal

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  5. YES! YES! YES! [Geeky Daniel Bryne moment there/WWE side of me coming out] In all seriousness, I completely agree with literally everything you said here babe!! I adore this blog post so much, thank you for sharing it lovely. 💜💫✨

    With love, Alisha Valerie. x
    www.AlishaValerie.com || www.twitter.com/AlishaValerie

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  6. I agree, I don't think people should boycott a company if they are still cruelty free. If that status changes then fair enough but otherwise I feel like it's a slippery slope!

    www.thesundaymode.com

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  7. I totally agree with your point of view here, like the examples you use, if people are still shopping in places that do sell meat etc how is that different to a parent company taking over a cruelty free brand? Unless they plan to sell in China, which you've shown Too Faced won't, I think its good to continue supporting them. I've never actually used Too Faced before so it didn't come as a big shock to me. Thank you for writing this post <3

    Amber Love Blog

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