I know that this isn't a make-or-break issue for many cosmetic fans, but since it's something I take seriously and I know that others here do, I thought I'd share this piece from phyrra.net:
http://www.phyrra.net/2012/03/heartbroken-by-mac.html
A few months back, Mac's parent company, Estee Lauder, reversed their long-standing policy of not conducting animal tests in order to speed their growth in the Chinese market. Sadly, it seems that several of the companies they own, including Bobbi Brown, Clinique and now (seemingly) Mac have chosen to follow suit.
I've written to Mac to ask for some clarification on whether or not they have started testing on animals, because the post that Phyrra links to as her source has some factual errors (Mac has used animal-derived ingredients- although ones that could be produced without requiring pain or death- and never claimed to be vegan), so I want to be really sure about what's going on. I haven't heard back from them.
I did notice that Bobbi Brown and Estee Lauder have modified their statements about animal testing to indicate that it is done under certain circumstances.
Personally, I think I'm pretty fair when it comes to cosmetics companies- the history and structure of the industry means that everyone is using products or ingredients that have likely been tested on animals at one time. All I ask is that the companies that I buy from don't actively continue to test or request that others do so on their behalf, given that there are more effective means available. I'm happy to say that this doesn't limit my options as much as it used to (a lot of companies have dispensed with animal tests as public pressure has grown).
If anyone has more information on this, please feel free to add it. If/ when I hear back from Mac, I'll post the response in full here. Hopefully, it's just one of those bad internet rumours that will be dispelled shortly.
