Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017
Edit: Originally, I gave this a raving review with 5 stars. Normally I follow the guidelines that these reviews are to be of the product & not the company. However, since there is blatant deceit involved, I'm posting this wherever it can be seen. So, whether or not you have an issue with animal cruelty (I hope you do), the bottom line here is lying to the public.
I recently found that OGX, formerly Organix, is NOT cruelty free. They used to be. Disclaimer: I am not a vegan, so we could split hairs on how "anti-animal cruelty" I am. I'm not going off on a tangent of the specific guidelines I personally follow, but I'm always against deception that doesn't allow a person to make their decision on facts ("Open-air" chicken eggs? That standard only means they have an open window - seriously! They must be "Free Range." Even then, there are some loopholes to investigate).
WARNING: This paragraph has some graphic descriptions. The number one test done with any product, shampoo, face wash, cosmetics, etc., that might end up in your eyes? Holding a bunny's eyes open while drops of the product are put in them to see how their eyes react, usually painfully blinding them. The other is to pour a product on them to see how much it takes to burn through their fur & skin. They are given no pain control or treatment, even if means prolonged suffering and death.
Hence, the 3 bunny symbols designating a company as being cruelty-free: the "Leaping Bunny" symbol is under the international organizations, CCIC & BUVA (Long acronyms you can look up, LOL), the "Heart-shaped-eared bunny face" symbol is for the Caring Consumer under the PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals) organization; and the profile outline of a bunny with "Not Tested on Animals" below it is for the CCF (Choose Cruelty Free) organization, based in Australia. Those are the only universally accepted symbols.
If anything, there is no question that OGX is being deceitful about 1 thing. And if 1 is known, then it could be any number of things and they simply cannot be trusted. It can take some jumping through hoops that your average buyer isn't aware of, to find out the truth in advertising. In this case, even more embarrassing to myself, it turns out to be pretty simple:
In 2016: Johnson & Johnson bought out Vogue International, that owns OGX; and so, Johnson & Johnson owns OGX. Yes, Johnson & Johnson does state they do not test on or use materials tested on animals, UNLESS “Given that there are countries that require animal testing by law, we do our best to respect governing law and regulations set by that governing body," (ie.China & a handful of other countries*). Aww, how thoughtful and politically correct of them.
Note: China has eliminated animal testing requirements on a number of products, but not "special use" ones: sunscreen, hair dye, diet supplements, depilatories, etc. America and Japan are the countries under the most pressure to make more changes as they also have so many strict regulations for a majority of products, making it harder for companies to avoid using them. But obviously not that difficult as there are a companies that honestly have no ties whatsoever to animal testing. They have no choice to be more expensive for this very reason. Think about that when you decide to save $3 on a bottle of shampoo that will last at least a month, then go buy a fancy coffee for $5 or other treat, that will last about 15 minutes.
Huge Kudos for New Zealand: They do not allow animal testing for ANY cosmetics (anything other than medications)! The ONLY country to have this mandate, to my knowledge, as of the writing of this.*
It takes an inordinate amount of time to research every product a person plans to buy to find out not only if they test on animals, but much more easily hidden, whether the materials they use in their products are tested on animals. So, whether you consider PETA extremist or simply diligent, they or the CFF or CCIC/BUAV are the ultimate sources to answer your questions. What makes it even more difficult is if a product does not have any of the 3 "bunny" logos verifying this. That is because in order to have those, they must undergo rigorous scrutinizing, that they must continuously undergo, which obviously isn't free. For any large company, this is not an issue, because the added sales from the logo far outweigh the cost. So, unless it's a small or family-operated company, I normally don't give a second thought to not wasting my time researching anything about the majority of companies without any symbol. And then only if it is a product that I really like & I hope has been overlooked, which, on rare occasion, is the case. The biggest reason you will see "We do not test on animals..." without having a bunny logo? Because the materials they use to make their products are from sources that do test on animal. Even some "high end" companies cut corners by buying their base materials from China. That statement leads most consumers to believe that as a blanket statement that there is no animal testing related to that product. Do not be fooled.
*I did not go into detail on these and a few other points as the minutia would actually make this statement even longer! With this information, it is very easy to research more to find out these and other pieces of missed information. If you find anything you feel is important to add, please do so!
Initial Review:
I used OGX a long time ago, so this particular product was new to me. It's usually a hit or miss as everyone's hair is so different that reviews don't necessarily apply.
For, me, it is perfect! I have fine hair, but a LOT of it! Also, I have some scalp dermatitis that is easily irritated, which this soothes.
Even after I'd damaged my hair with a less than funny at-home hair lightening "accident," my hair was silky soft after leaving this in for a few minutes.
Best of all, it's all natural and Cruelty Free!
