Leaping Bunny

Leaping-bunny-2What is Leaping Bunny? And why is it such a big part of the Velvet & Sweet Pea Purrfumery story?

Leaping Bunny is a coalition of eight national animal protection groups that came together to promote a single and extremely comprehensive standard for cruelty-free cosmetic products. During the 1990s, when companies began to label their products as “cruelty- free” and “not tested on animals,” the coalitions who formed Leaping Bunny asserted this critical point:

“Cruelty-free” and “not tested on animals” may only refer to the finished product, but most animal testing occurs at the ingredient level. And, companies that market themselves as not testing on animals could still contract with other companies who do testing.

The only way to be certain that you are patronizing cruelty-free companies is to buy products from companies certified by the Leaping Bunny Program. This program requires that no new animal testing be used in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or ingredient suppliers.

An animal and tree-hugging hippie, Laurie heard about Leaping Bunny years before she became a natural perfumer. She used to carry their book with her so could be sure when she bought a new product that she was patronizing a company that didn’t test on animals. When she started making perfume, and discovered the dark side of natural perfumery and rampant use of animal bi-products, she decided to seek Leaping Bunny certification. For her, it was all about peace of mind: hers and her customers.

After many months of work and research, the Purrfumery received its Leaping Bunny certification, which certifies that Laurie doesn’t do animal testing (of course!) and neither do any of the companies she patronizes. This involved contacting and receiving documentation from each and every supplier she works with, or may work with in the future – no small job as she sources ingredients from all over the world! And Laurie doesn’t stop there. She won’t buy products from companies that sell civet cat musk or beaver castoreum, which includes some of the biggest perfume suppliers from France and the United States. It’s her way of going one step further – beyond animal testing – to make sure no animals were harmed in the production of the materials she uses. She votes with her pocketbook, and doesn’t patronize companies that profit from animal cruelty. (By the way, her beloved kitty muses, Velvet and Sweet Pea, were lab animals!)

Rest assured when you buy a sumptuous natural, botanical product from Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery, you are buying a natural treasure that is 100% cruelty-free!