John Paul Mitchell Systems is showing consumers once again why it's a leader in cruelty-free compassion. The hair-care and salon giant has decided to pull entirely out of the Chinese market rather than having its products tested on animals. Paul Mitchell, whose products have never been tested on animals anywhere in the world and who had not yet been required to do so in China, is the first cruelty-free company to stop selling in that country in order to prevent cruel animal tests.  For this bold move, PETA, which has been in communication with the company for months, is presenting Paul Mitchell with its Courage in Commerce Award.

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Mary Kay, Avon, and Estée Lauder recently sold out animals when they began paying for animal testing in order to market their products in China and were thus promptly removed from PETA's cruelty-free list. But compassionate companies such as Paul Mitchell and Urban Decay are proving that they'd rather have clear consciences than a few extra yuan in their wallets.

After PETA funded a group of scientists to travel to China and offer their advice on replacing animal experiments with superior non-animal methods, the country is poised to approve its first non-animal cosmetics test. 

In the meantime, please use PETA's Caring Consumer database and support only companies that refuse to pay for any animal tests—no matter where in the world they are conducted.

Hip cosmetics company Urban Decay has earned PETA's Courage in Commerce Award for putting animals ahead of market share and reversing its decision to sell in China, where animals are harmed and killed in product tests. The company's decision followed talks with PETA and thousands of e-mails from disappointed consumers. While many companies have shed their cruelty-free policies as easily as last year's fashion for a share of the profits from China, Urban Decay officials have decided that the cost was too high. They're corporate champs in our book, and the company is going back on PETA's cruelty-free list. 

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Change is afoot in China, too. PETA is financially supporting scientists from the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, who are working with the Chinese government to replace cruel and archaic animal tests with superior non-animal methods, and already, we are seeing huge progress. Until the day when product tests on animals are a thing of the past, we hope other companies eyeing the Chinese and other markets where cruel tests are required will follow Urban Decay's example and put ethics first.

Update

Great news! Following thousands of your e-mails and talks with PETA, Urban Decay has announced that it won't sell its products in China until non-animal testing methods are accepted there. We are delighted that Urban Decay is staying true to its ethic of producing top-quality products without harming animals—even though it means giving up a market share in China—and we're pleased to return the company to our list of cruelty-free companies! 

The following was originally published on June 7:

After years of touting its "no animal testing" policy, Urban Decay has let down caring consumers everywhere. The company opted to start selling its products in China even though Chinese law requires that cosmetics companies pay for many of their products to be tested on animals in Chinese laboratories before they can be marketed in that country.

For each test required by the Chinese government, superior non-animal methods are available. PETA has jump-started the effort for acceptance of non-animal tests by awarding a grant to the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, which is working with scientists and regulatory bodies to replace animal tests in China. Thanks to the work of these PETA-funded scientists, the Chinese government is now poised to accept its first-ever non-animal test for cosmetics ingredients.

Urban Decay has long held a spot on PETA's list of cruelty-free companies and offers an extensive line of vegan makeup, but it has turned its back on animals. Urban Decay could delay its entry into China, but the company is putting profits over principles.