Draft:Beauty Without Cruelty

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Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) was founded as an educational charitable trust in England in 1959 by Lady Muriel Dowding (1908–1993), past president of the National Anti-Vivisection Society and wife of Lord Dowding (1882–1970), the former commander-in-chief of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. It investigated and exposed the brutality inflicted on animals in the fur and cosmetic trade and led the way in the commercial production of synthetic alternatives to fur and cosmetics without the use of animal ingredients and not tested on animals, pioneering the cruelty-free movement. The initial fundamental purpose of the charitable trust was to demonstrate that alternatives to cruelly derived clothing and cosmetics were easily obtainable and, if they did not exist, to get them on the market. BWC spread the concept that one could easily look beautiful, using quality natural products, without inflicting cruelty of death upon any living creature.

In 1963, Lady Dowding set up Beauty Without Cruelty Cosmetics (BWC Ltd), the trading arm of the charity, so their cruelty-free cosmetics and other products, including simulated furs could be sold. This later became a private company. According to Dowding, BWC pioneered the production of 100 percent vegetable soap as a luxury item.

The charity, now known as the BWC Charitable Trust, established branches in Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the United States, along with Canada, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Kenya, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), the Netherlands, Japan, Finland and Hong Kong. The first Beauty Without Cruelty boutique opened in central London in 1965.

Currently two independently run BWC charitable organisations are in existence having expanded the scope of work: Beauty Without Cruelty - India: and Beauty Without Cruelty (South Africa). There are also two independent cruelty-free cosmetic companies: Beauty Without Cruelty in the United Kingdom and Beauty Without Cruelty in the United States. These are vegan and continue to refuse to test their products on animals.

History

Lady Dowding, dedicated to the rights of animals, was appalled by the suffering and cruelty involved in the production of fur coats and fur accessories, fashionable at the time. In 1959, compelled to something, she explored the alternatives to fur and set out to make known her findings to the wider public. With friends, Sylvia Barbanell, Olive Burton, Elspeth Douglas Reid, Dr. Barbara Latto and Monica Latto, drawn into the idea Dowding formed a small volunteer committee to stage fashion shows featuring simulated furs bearing the label 'Beauty Without Cruelty'. Their shows exposed the cruelty behind the fur trade in order to change public opinion, whilst also demonstrating the suffering inflicted on animals.

Their first London fashion show caused much publicity and was a surprisingly huge success, leading to subsequent events in London and other cities in England. People began writing to Dowding and national papers, radio and television picked up on the story and the movement escalated, becoming clear that many were anxious to help. BWC tried to remain a movement, that worked alongside other animal welfare groups and organisations, not another society in competition with others. As interest grew, they began a periodical newsletter to keep in touch with their many supporters. BWC's campaign to make furs not only socially acceptable, but socially virtuous, made an effective contribution to the development of fake fur, with every season bringing advances in the quality of their fabrics.

Alongside BWC's exposure of the fur trade, Dowding brought the public's attention to the use of animal ingredients in cosmetics, which were obtained in no less of a brutal manner. She later learnt one of the most closely guarded trade secrets, that cosmetic companies also tested their products on animals, often in appalling ways. This knowledge led to an important part of BWC's work; to examine claims made by manufacturers that their products were free from cruelty. Where necessary, cosmetic products were tested and analysed by their BWC technical adviser, a well know cosmetic chemist, Mr. F. V. Wells and cosmetic analyst Dr. G. N. James, as at that time no labelling requirements were laid down for cosmetic contents, although manufactured foodstuff required this by law. BWC published these findings in a brochure, More Than Skin Deep, which itemised beauty and household products available on the market, not test on animals or containing animal ingredients, other than beeswax, honey or lanolin, along with other non-leather shoes, gloves and handbags.

A quarterly journal, Compassion, covered BWC's activities and published articles on kindred subjects in the wider humanitarian field. A kinship with all forms of life was encouraged. The public were reached through newspaper and magazine articles, television, and radio in Britain and abroad. Fashion and film shows, exhibitions and public meetings were held. Council members and other qualified speakers addressed interested societies and organisations.

Following Dowding's failed attempt to persuade cosmetic firms to create a range of cosmetics that did not involve any cruelty to animals, a BWC committee member and former chemist, Kathleen Long, who had made cosmetics for friends during the war, created their first cruelty-free cream formula, which was made up by John Bell & Croyden. The minimal profit made from this was ploughed back into the next product and so on. Eventually through trial and error, Long, on behalf of BWC, developed the first full range of cruelty-free cosmetics, created from the finest oils and essences of plants, herbs and flowers. Long continued working for BWC until her death in 1970.

In 1963, a solicitor Noel Gabriel, as a gift, converted BWC into a registered educational charitable trust to enable them to have members whose fees would pay for the running costs and help Dowding pay for the increased secretarial support required for the movement's rapid growth. As charities could not enter trade, he also created for them a limited company, Beauty Without Cruelty Ltd, under which the cruelty-free products they promoted and manufactured could be sold. All profits from the cruelty-free sales went back to the charity.

Dowding searched unsuccessfully for over a year, for a shop that would have a Beauty Without Cruelty counter, due to the conflict of interest with many of the established cosmetic firms. In 1963, a small boutique opened in a committee member's garage in Bayswater, London, selling the cruelty free products. In 1965, BWC bought and opened its first boutique at 49 Upper Montagu Street, London. Affiliated branches began opening boutiques in Britain, enabling more people access to cruelty-free clothes and cosmetics.

BWC was supported by its President Lord Dowding and Vice Presidents, who included Michaela Denis, Spike Milligan and his wife Paddy (Patricia Ridgeway), Brigid Brophy, Maureen Duffy, Tony Britton, Grace Cooke, Rupert Davis, Harry Edwards, Dr. Richard St. Barbe Baker, Eva Batt, Rukmini Devi Arundale, Patrick Moore and others. Models flocked to support BWC fashion shows. In 1970, Dowding asked former top fur model Celia Hammond to observe the seal cull off the Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada, to help raise awareness on behalf of BWC.

Beauty Without Cruelty expansion

The BWC movement rapidly grew and by 1962 established branches in Australia, Japan, the United States, and New Zealand and Canada in 1963. The Northern and the Scottish branches in the UK started in 1965.The Rhodesian and South African branch began in 1966 and a Welsh branch in 1967. In 1973, Dr. Ethel Thurston founded the United Stated branch in New York. A BWC branch in India started in 1974. By 1975, there were branches set up in Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town In South Africa, Kenya,, the Netherlands, Ireland, and further UK branches in Lancashire, Leeds, East Midlands, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Finland began its own branch in 1978 and Hong Kong in 1981. In 1969, BWC became associated with Compassion in World Farming.

Due to the rapid growth in demand for cosmetics, which caused considerable production problems, Dowding's son, David Whiting became marketing and production director of BWC Ltd in early 1970 until 1973. Whiting also led BWC in expanding its activities by launching international investigations of illegal trade and the cruel exploitation of animals. Reports in the press dubbed him 'The Animal Spy' and made the hard facts of the poaching, smuggling, slaughter and abuse of animals for the fashion and cosmetic's industry freely available to the public and industry alike.

The cosmetic company was later taken over by Grenville Hawkins and Joseph Piccioni. In 1978, Piccioni became the managing director of BWC Ltd in Great Britain. With his business expertise and dedication to animal rights, Piccioni helped lead BWC to launch its lines in the United States in 1989.

In 1979, Dr. Ethel Thurston, Head of BWC (United States) coordinated a week of anti-fur protests in New York, with star guests, Lady Dowding and actress Gretchen Wyler, to coincide with the American International Fur Fair. The effort is remembered as the beginning of the United States anti-fur movement.

Dowding remained director of BWC until shortly before the educational charitable trust and the cosmetics company became separate organisations in 1980. Dowding resigned in 1981. The BWC (UK) charity closed in 2002.

Beauty Without Cruelty today

BWC charities

Beauty Without Cruelty – India, an educational charitable trust for animal rights, began by focusing on the commercial exploitation of animals for vanity on 12^th September 1974 by Diana Ratnagar, who continues as managing trustee and Chairperson of the organisation. It does not accept any foreign aid or donations.

Over the years the organisation has expanded its scope of work to cover animals subjected to suffering, torture or death in the name of food, science, research, experimentation, dissection, testing, medicine, service, trade, entertainment, training, performance, exhibition, conservation, environment, confinement, genetic engineering, physical alteration, fashion, beauty preparations, toiletries, apparel, accessories, household goods, decorative items, religion, or for any other reason or purpose. This is in keeping with their motto: 'Beauty Without Cruelty is a way of life which causes no creature of land, sea or air terror, torture or death.'

BWC India's activities involve research, fact-finding, investigation through fieldwork, documentation, reports and publication, along with education, creating public awareness, campaigning and lobbying.

Beauty Without Cruelty (South Africa) is an animal issues charity in South Africa, established in 1975. Its initial focus was animal testing, fur and ivory. It has subsequently expanded to include educating and offering kind options in all areas of animal exploitation. Beauty Without Cruelty is an animal rights organisation with a primary objective to educate and inform the public about the exploitation, abuse and suffering of all animals and to offer humane, non-animal alternatives, to replace cruel and harmful lifestyle choices. They receive no government or lottery funding and rely entirely on the generosity of supporters to continue work for animals. Beauty Without Cruelty means living without cruelty.

BWC cosmetic companies

Beauty Without Cruelty is an independent British company that manufactures vegan cosmetics. The cosmetics contain no animal products and are not tested on animals and are a certified member of the Vegan Society and Cruelty Free International.

Beauty Without Cruelty is also an independent company in the United States that continues to produce a full line of cruelty-free, vegan skin, body and haircare products. The brand was introduced into the United States in 1989.

BWC's products are free of parabens, gluten, S.L.S, PEG, toluene, formaldehyde and phthalates. Although millions of animals are killed each year as a result of animal testing of cosmetics, Beauty Without Cruelty advocates animal rights and argues that the results of animal testing are often unreliable and can not be applied to humans. BWC focuses on vegan and "natural" products that cannot chemically harm humans and do not need to be tested on animals.

BWC has worked to support the Humane Cosmetics Act on its mission to end cosmetic animal testing in the United States.

See also

• List of animal rights advocates
• List of vegetarian and vegan companies
• Testing cosmetics on animals

BWC Publications

• Compassion (BWC UK Headquarters). Quarterly Journal. 1962 - 2000
• Compassionate Friend (BWC India). English quarterly journal. 1977 to date.
• Karuna-Mitre (BWC India). Hindi quarterly journal. 2011 to date.
• Compassion (BWC South Africa)
• More than Skin Deep (BWC UK). 1st edition 1966. 2nd edition 1975.
• A Guide for Kind Cooks (BWC UK). Vegetarian cook book. 1965

BWC Films

• What Price Beauty? (BWC UK) 1977
• Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC India) 1985

External links

• Beauty Without Cruelty - India
• Beauty Without Cruelty (South Africa)
• Beauty Without Cruelty - UK cosmetics
• Beauty Without Cruelty - USA cosmetics