The Body Shop has pulled all of its products off shelves at duty-free stores operating in airports in China. The company says the removal is temporary, depending on whether or not these products fall under China’s animal testing requirement.

L’Oreal, which owns The Body Shop, says they are looking into the matter. They are also assuring Body Shop customers that its opposition to animal testing for cosmetics – as well as the brand’s position as a cruelty-free company – has not changed or been compromised.

The controversy was brought to light when the Australia-based consumer advocacy group Choice questioned whether or not the products sold at Chinese airports were required to meet the country’s animal testing requirements. Choice is promoting the news to consumers on social media, with the hashtag #ComeClean.

Body Shop products are available at airports in Shanghai and Beijing. Choice’s investigation revealed that the products were at risk of being tested on animals, since the Chinese government confirmed that they do random testing on products in airport stores – so there is no way to confirm that Body Shop’s products have not been tested on animals, or won’t be in the future.

Executive chairman of the Body Shop Australia, Graeme Wise, said the company didn’t consider airports part of the Chinese market – and that the brand still stands firm on its position not to enter the Chinese market.

The Body Shop is a huge supporter of Cruelty-Free International, and its director of policy, Dr. Nick Palmer, agrees with the brand. Palmer told the Sydney Morning Herald that there is no reason to think that Body Shop products are being tested in China.
But, a statement released by the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China says otherwise:

“It is inconceivable that any foreign cosmetics company can bypass Chinese regulations and sell at the airports. The airports in Beijing and Shanghai are part of the Chinese territory that is subject to the same rules.”

Photo: The Australia-based consumer advocacy group Choice purchased this Body Shop product at a duty free store at the airport in Shanghai.