For a loonng time now, Tarte has been an animal-friendly star, a high-end makeup brand that uses vegan ingredients and doesn't test on any of our animal friends. And, for all intents & purposes, it will continue to be.
I know, I know...they sold out. Quite literally! That wasn't a jab at their moral values, they actually were bought by Kose, a Japanese cosmetics company that DOES test. (Click through to read Kose's bulletin on purchasing Tarte.) And a lot of people are bummed out, including my cruelty free beauty BFF Morgan Joyce from CrueltyFreeQTs. She's publically voiced her disapproval & says she'll no longer buy from Tarte...I'm sure there are HEAPS of people who feel the same way and I'm sure there are equally large heaps of people who will continue to support Tarte as a cruelty free entity.
Here's the rundown:
Tarte is now owned by a testing company. TRUE.
Tarte now tests on animals. FALSE.
Tarte now tests on animals. FALSE.
Although they've been purchased by a company who doesn't share their, and our, cruelty free values, Tarte as its own entity still maintains animal friendly practices in producing their makeup. It seems sketchy, but it's the same exact story as a number of other companies who are famous for being cruelty free. Providers like Burt's Bees, bareMinerals, and NARS are all owned by testing companies. Burt's Bees, perpetually hailed as natural & nice, is actually owned by Clorox! But the Bees themselves don't ever test. So...it's up to you.
You could look at it this way: if a testing company sees that it's best selling line is the one cruelty free line they put out...shouldn't they make more? The more cruelty free purchases we make, the more motivation these testing giants will have to give us more! Basic supply & demand, si? You could also look at it this way: when you buy Tarte, or Burt's Bees, or NARS, your ca$h will eventually end up in the hands of their parent companies.....it's a dilemma, no doubt.
I'll admit, I was super sad over here when I first heard the news! Tarte is so respected & puts out such fab products that I could barely stomach the thought of throwing them out the window! But will I continue to buy their stuff? Well, I haven't quite decided. I usually make it a point to refrain from buying Burt's Bees & NARS...but how realistic is it to ONLY buy independent cruelty free products? In our industrial society where big business rules, how much stuff like that is left?! I'm all for supporting small business entrepreneurs! But I haven't made up my mind whether I'm more of a believer in the supply & demand theory or the latter.
You could look at it this way: if a testing company sees that it's best selling line is the one cruelty free line they put out...shouldn't they make more? The more cruelty free purchases we make, the more motivation these testing giants will have to give us more! Basic supply & demand, si? You could also look at it this way: when you buy Tarte, or Burt's Bees, or NARS, your ca$h will eventually end up in the hands of their parent companies.....it's a dilemma, no doubt.
I'll admit, I was super sad over here when I first heard the news! Tarte is so respected & puts out such fab products that I could barely stomach the thought of throwing them out the window! But will I continue to buy their stuff? Well, I haven't quite decided. I usually make it a point to refrain from buying Burt's Bees & NARS...but how realistic is it to ONLY buy independent cruelty free products? In our industrial society where big business rules, how much stuff like that is left?! I'm all for supporting small business entrepreneurs! But I haven't made up my mind whether I'm more of a believer in the supply & demand theory or the latter.
SO drop me a line! What's your opinion on Tarte's new deal? DO you buy from friendly sellers with cruel parent companies? Will you continue to be a Tartelette?
(*Head on over to Tarte's FB page to read CEO Maureen Kelly's statement on keep Tarte cruelty free.*)
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