Madelaine Petsch Responds to Criticism Over Partnership with Animal-Tested Beauty Brand

Madelaine Petsch excitedly announced her first-ever beauty partnership with skin care brand, Bioré, on Tuesday, but for many fans, the news wasn’t happy. The 23-year-old “Riverdale” actress was slammed and accused of being a “hypocrite” for partnering with the company, which reportedly tests on animals and isn’t cruelty-free.

Animal activists flooded Petsch’s Instagram with comments expressing their disappointment in her new job. They reminded her that Bioré—which is owned by Kao, a Japan-based cosmetics corporation—sells its products in China, which, by law, requires animal testing. Several fans also accused Petsch of hypocrisy for being a vegan and a frequent animal rights activist. A few comments included:

Source: Instagram

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However, Petsch didn’t take the criticism lying down. She fired back in the comments, explaining that when she signed her deal with Bioré, she checked if the brand was cruelty-free. She assured fans that they had nothing to worry about. “Guys when I signed onto this I checked with @bioreus and I assure you they love animals and don’t test on them! ” Petsch wrote.

Photo: Instagram

Still, fans were adamant that Petsch was wrong. They speculated that she wasn’t aware of the regulations in China, and therefore, didn’t know about the animal testing. Several followers also explained that though Bioré might not personally test on animals in China, Chinese government employees do and the company is complicit in the act. A few comments included:

“Pretty sure Biore test on animals because it is required by law in China and they sell there… so whatever information they gave you is completely wrong.”

“They sell in China so they aren’t cruelty free :/”

“I look up to you, and absolutely adore how you represent the vegan community, but I’m so disappointed that you’d represent a company like Biore that sells in China therefore requiring animal testing regulations despite whether they may or may mot directly test on animals themselves. ”

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So far, Bioré hasn’t responded to the criticism, and Petsch hasn’t offered a rebuttal. We’ll see in the following weeks if her role with the brand changes.