NARS chose the Money over the Bunny...

So in June 2017 French cosmetics brand NARS announced that they’re going to start selling their products in China and expand their market. As a brand that has a made a name for themselves in the cruelty free community this has caused stress + disappointment to their loyal followers. Many of their once-loyal consumers were proud to say that they supported such a luxe cruelty free cosmetics brand (me being one of them!), but they’re now disgraced and using #BoycottNARS to shame them.

NARS published a disappointing Instagram post that basically explained how they care more about money than they do about animal welfare:

We want you to know that we hear you. The global elimination of animal testing needs to happen. We firmly believe that product and ingredient safety can be proven by non-animal methods, but we must comply with the local laws of the markets in which we operate, including in China. We have decided to make NARS available in China because we feel it is important to bring our vision of beauty and artistry to fans in the region. NARS does not test on animals or ask others to do so on our behalf, except where required by law. NARS is committed and actively working to advance alternative testing methods. We are proud to support the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS), a globally recognized organization at the forefront of advancing non-animal methods in China and around the world. NARS is hopeful that together, we can work toward a cruelty-free world. For more on the good work IIVS is doing, see: http://bit.ly/2rVjnwV

A post shared by @narsissist on Jun 27, 2017 at 8:18am PDT

BUT WHY?
For those of you who are unsure of what’s so bad about selling in China let me clear a few things up...

“Foreign Imported Ordinary Cosmetics (makeup products) require animal testing before being put on the Chinese market*”

*this doesn’t include stores in Hong Kong

Since NARS are a French brand they are classed as a foreign brand to China, so they must test on animals if they want to sell in this region. Read the Ethical Elephant’s post about China’s Animal Testing Laws for more details.

The supposedly vegan François Nars founded NARS in 1994 and is apparently “committed to eliminating animal testing and to finding alternative methods.” Completely hypocritical, don’t you think? Although they may be widening their market and “bringing their vision of beauty and artistry to more fans around the globe,” they've most certainly lost a huge amount of loyal customers and NARS lovers!

I am saddened by this disappointing news as I was a lover of their vegan products and brand. It’s such a shame to see this massive back-step in the 21st Century, and it has made their cruelty free and vegan competitors look even better... surely the opposite of what they were going for!

On the bright-side however, it’s amazing to see so many people joining in with the #BoycottNARS hashtag. I wonder how long it’ll take NARS to realise that they’re making a HUGE mistake...

What do you guys think? Will you be boycotting NARS? #BoycottNARS.