As of right now I don’t know what kinds of animals they are using.

— Kenn

Animal testing for cosmetics is a hot topic in the beauty industry, with most consumers and many companies deciding to avoid products made with animal testing. After more than two decades following a “no testing on animals” policy, cosmetics giants Avon, Mary Kay, and Estee Lauder have resumed the practice without letting consumers know. In the late 1980s, PETA’s “Avon Killing” campaign eventually led to the company banning animal testing for their products, with Mary Kay and Estée Lauder following suit.

According to a press release from Rush PR, the news was broken after animal rights organization PETA removed the companies from their cruelty-free list after discovering that they had returned to using testing on animals for their products. The three companies began the tests again in order to satisfy regulations from the Chinese government so they could sell their products in China. However, PETA contends that there are alternative testing methods that are just as effective and widely used in the US.

Kathy Guillermo, the Vice President of PETA’s Laboratory Investigations was saddened by the move: “Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay have regressed a generation: Their products are once again being dripped into rabbits’ eyes and smeared onto animals’ abraded skin.” She’s urging customers to choose cruelty-free products instead.

Avon spokeswoman Reese Witherspoon may be upset to learn about the new animal testing as well. Late last year she was “dismayed” to learn a bag she was spotted with was made from real python skin and agreed to throw it away. But perhaps she can use her star power to influence Avon to go back to their animal-friendly ways.