Avon - The Company for Women - Corporate Responsibility

We are confident in the safety and efficacy of Avon products, and we respond to inquiries from Representatives, customers, the media and organizations about our products, ingredients and safety evaluations. With online social media gaining in popularity and reach, it is easier than ever for misleading statements about product safety issues to find their way to a broad internet audience, regardless of credibility or source. It can be a challenge for us to educate people on sometimes scientific information in a manner that is both easily understandable and reassuring, and it can be difficult to respond effectively to false or unfounded claims when we may not be able to identify or contact the initial source.

We address these challenges by responding to consumer concerns directly and encouraging consumers to visit www.cosmeticsinfo.org, a website that provides detailed information culled from independent scientific sources and studies on the ingredients most commonly used in cosmetics and personal-care products. The website, developed by The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), of which Avon is a member, provides a wealth of primarily third-party information on thousands of cosmetic ingredients, which account for approximately 90 percent of the ingredients used in cosmetic and personal-care products available today. The content of the site includes peer-reviewed and government-funded research studies from many countries. The content of these studies and the results are not created by the PCPC, but are simply reported on the site. More ingredients will continue be listed over time.

In the commitment to customer service, Avon offers products that meet a variety of consumer preferences. One example is the new Liiv Botanicals line of face, body and bath products, which is preservative-free.

For further information, stakeholders can also refer to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), which reviews and assesses the safety of cosmetics ingredients and publishes the results in peer-reviewed scientific literature. The CIR Expert Panel comprises independent physicians and scientists who meet the same conflict-of-interest requirements as members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committees.

Additional External Resources

Another site that some find interesting is stats.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization affiliated with George Mason University. The STATS mission is "to improve the quality of scientific and statistical information in public discourse and to act as a resource for journalists and policy makers on scientific issues and controversies." Information can also be found on the website for The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), which is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1978 that has as its mission to “serve as a consumer education consortium concerned with issues related to food, nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment and health. The nucleus of ACSH is a board of 350 physicians, scientists and policy advisors.” To access the ACSH website, click here.

Avon has no connection to STATS or ACSH and their websites are provided solely as resources.