People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has awarded Levlad, LLC’s Nature’s Gate brand its Courage in Commerce Award for choosing to exit the Chinese personal-care market in opposition to the country’s animal-testing requirements, according to an April 1 release.

The Chatsworth, Calif.-based brand is “losing sales” on the move, which follows “extensive discussions” with PETA regarding China’s policy that requires cosmetics firms to fund animal tests on their products in Chinese laboratories before launching to market, the activist group says.

Nature’s Gate isn’t the only company to arrive at this decision after talks with PETA. Professional hair-care firm John Paul Mitchell Systems, skin-care marketer Dermalogica and Pangea Naturals (Pangea Organics) have closed their businesses in China as well under similar circumstances, the organization says.

Meanwhile, NYX Cosmetics and [Yes To Inc.]are among firms that are staying out of the burgeoning market until China revises its animal-testing requirements.

Last year, edgy cosmetics brand Urban Decay announced its intention to enter the Chinese market, but quickly revised its strategy following a heated outcry from customers and fans who have come to expect high standards from the brand in terms of cruelty-free business practices ([A#02120716003]).

L’Oreal S.A.’s acquisition of Urban Decay in late 2012 triggered further concerns from the animal-welfare community and speculation in the social-media domain that the brand’s animal-welfare commitment may be compromised under new ownership ([A#02121203002]).

In December 2012, Nick Palmer, director of policy at London-based Cruelty Free International, told “The Rose Sheet” that advancements in alternative testing technology and growing awareness of “global attitudes” among Chinese consumers would likely spur changes in China’s animal-testing requirements, though he noted that the country is known for its conservative stance on product safety and government resistance would likely continue Also see "China Feeling Global Squeeze To Adopt Non-Animal Tests, Activists Say" - HBW Insight, 24 December, 2012..

PETA has identified China as “the new front in the battle” to end global animal use in the cosmetics sector since the European Union’s full ban on animal-tested cosmetic products and ingredients went into effect in March Also see "EU Hopes To Make Animal-Test Ban Global Model" - HBW Insight, 18 March, 2013..

As part of its effort to steer China toward more animal-friendly policies, the group is funding training sessions for Chinese research staff at the university level. Through a grant from PETA, the Rockville, Md.-based Institute for In Vitro Sciences held a workshop in 2012 with students from the Beijing Technical and Business University to train them in using in vitro test methods as an alternative to animal experimentation, according to PETA's website.

“PETA is working to help Chinese officials modernize their testing requirements, but companies can – and should – stay out of that market until no animal is poisoned or blinded,” the group says.

Nature's Gate is applauded for its decision to pull out of the Chinese market, making the company “a hero for animals and for millions of consumers who want personal-care products that come without a death toll," asserts PETA Senior Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo.

However, “not all companies are as dedicated to staying cruelty-free as Nature's Gate is,” PETA says, citing Mary Kay, Avon Products, and Estee Lauder Companies as firms that subject animals to testing in order to sell personal-care products in China.

PETA Applauds Nature’s Gate For Exiting China’s Cosmetics Market

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