Consumers are a fickle bunch. Dangle a fantastic deal in front of them, be it a cheap flight to Lanzarote or a very tasty chicken burger and it is amazing how any concerns about ethical sourcing and sustainability can be postponed for the duration of their enjoyment. Until maybe twenty years ago, the ethics of products barely played on the minds of the vast majority of consumers. Sadly the end product has been deforestation, dirty air, ozone holes and mass extinctions of plant and animal species.

Fortunately, in many ways things have changed for the better. There are now international laws forcing industry to reduce emissions and source sustainable raw materials wherever possible – and fines and clean-up bills if they go wrong. And perhaps more importantly to industry, customers are shopping around and refusing to buy products that they see as breaching the basic fundamentals of sustainability and ethics.

One of the most active battlefields in this matter has been the cosmetics industry. The ball probably started rolling when animal rights activists got hold of photographs of cosmetics being tested on animals in cramped conditions. It shocked many consumers who had never before given much thought to how cosmetics products are researched, and started a debate about the rights and wrongs of animal testing. Although there were radicals on both sides of the argument, a distinction seems to have been made between testing pharmaceuticals and testing cosmetics on animals. The former is tolerated, albeit with a heavy heart, whereas the latter is now generally considered unacceptable.

One of the mainstream cheerleaders for a change in the national opinion was Body Shop founder Anita Roddick, who popularised the idea that ethical sourcing and testing is not just right, but that it could lead to commercial success too. When supermodels and actors started openly supporting the cause, and making some unforgettable posters along the way, the game was truly up for any make-up manufacturer exposed as being an animal experimenter.

And whereas the Body Shop had a certain high street appeal to it, with many products being cheap and ideal for gift-buying, some of the high-end brands started to point out that they too had a history of ethical sourcing and testing. One of the largest is Guinot, who are best know for their skin cream range and who are proud of their stance on animal testing. They go further, too, having a complete end-to-end ethical and organic manufacturing process which only uses non-GM products and they do not use paraben-based preservatives.

We can only hope that the green, ethical and conscientious phenomenon is not a passing fad, and during times of financial crisis people opt for cheaper products that are made by companies who care little about the environment or the treatment of animals. It is probably true that now the genie is out of the bottle, there is no going back, and that there will always be ethical options for those who care about such things. But it is up to the public to make sure they continue to make their opinions known about these issues.

Nigel is a regular writer on a number of skin care and health-related websites. He writes about skin creams and moisturiseres such as guinot and other ethical eye and skin formulations. He is nutrition and health enthusiast.

Nigel is a regular writer on a number of skin care and health-related websites such as http://www.skincare-online.com/ and others. He writes about skin creams and moisturiseres such as Guinot and other ethical eye and skin formulations. He is nutrition and health enthusiast.

Author Bio: Nigel is a regular writer on a number of skin care and health-related websites. He writes about skin creams and moisturiseres such as guinot and other ethical eye and skin formulations. He is nutrition and health enthusiast.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
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