Hello Products Acquired By Colgate, Another Non-cruelty-free Parent Company

On January 23, 2020 Colgate announced that is has acquired brand Hello Products, one of the fastest-growing drugstore oral care brands. This news hit me very hard and the disappointment poured in, which is why it took me so long to announce this. Maybe if I didn’t write it, it wouldn’t be true. But we all know that doesn’t work. The reason Hello Products has been one of the fastest-growing oral care brands is because they are affordable, WIDELY available, and a 100% cruelty-free toothpaste brand that FINALLY WORKS FOR EVERYONE. And yet again, the brand is swooped up by a giant, unethical corporation.

why do cruelty-free brands sell out to cruel parent companies?

The short answer is: opportunity. Hello Products saw an opportunity to grow their outreach and overall success as a business. Colgate saw an opportunity to grow a brand that has insane momentum right now in the oral care industry. And as long as the acquired brand remains cruelty-free, that seems to be all that matters. You can read the full acquisition story here.

However, the underlying issue is that as parent companies continue to acquire cruelty-free brands, they continue to profit from the cruelty-free industry while not being cruelty-free themselves. Parent companies test on animals but then also gain from cruelty-free brands? It just seems completely unethical and deceitful.

Will Hello Products Remain Cruelty-free?

The silver lining here is that Hello Products did make a deal with Colgate to keep the brand cruelty-free. However, if you care about not supporting cruel parent companies, Hello Products has unfortunately been added to the Brands to Avoid list.

But Don’t Get Discouraged…..

Click here for a full list of oral care brands that are still 100% Cruelty-Free. These brands are not owned by parent companies that test on animals.

What do you think about this acquisition? Let me know in the comments below!

XO, Stephanie