The One Voice label guarantees that a complete range of products has not been tested on animals, concerning both the ingredients used and the finished products themselves.
One Voice is the French representative of the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), and according to the company the label is valid across European Union and North America.
The label criteria are based upon that of the international Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS), which demands that beauty companies remove animal testing from their entire supply chain.
Rigorous process
According to One Voice, manufacturers must be able to prove that each ingredient involved in a product's manufacture has not been tested on animals in order to receive the logo.
To this end, an inspection procedure, which may be checked at any time, must be set up. The certification process is audited by an independent body in order to guarantee transparency of the criteria, and the procedure is repeated every three years.
An Yves Rocher spokesperson told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com that the certification process is a lengthy one, supporting One Voice’s claim that its label is recognized as one of the most demanding.
“It is a laborious process because the One Voice certification is very strict. We underwent a long control procedure by Ecocert on all our raw materials (including supplier audits) and on our manufacturing centres and processes before being awarded certification.”
Certification provides reassurance for consumers
The spokesperson explained that receiving the label is a way for Yves Rocher, a leader against animal testing, to reassure customers of its commitment.
“This certification is an answer to our customers who are looking for detailed information about our products,” the spokesperson said.
“Today's climate makes it so that there are doubts as to the veracity of claims being made. We simply wanted to reassure our customers that our commitment to the protection of animals and our refusal to test on them was real.”
Other cosmetics companies to hold the One Voice label include Kibio, Melvita, L’Occitane and The Body Shop.