Paul mitchell pledges to remain cruelty-free

Paul Mitchell's CEO John Paul DeJoria made a rare public appearance in London in the luxurious surroundings of the Manderin Oriental Hotel to announce plans to focus on the brand's cruelty-free stance during 2013

John Paul was joined by Michelle Thew, chief executive of Cruelty-Free International, an organisation that endorses products that can demonstrate a supply chain free of animal cruelty.

Paul Mitchell took a cruelty-free stance from launch, said John Paul, and had always put this commitment before commercial gain - a philosophy that was demonstrated last year when the brand was withdrawn from China, when new legislation was introduced demanding all cosmetic products entering the country had to be tested on animals.

"We had been selling in China for more than 10 years," said John Paul, "We believe what we say and no amount of money is going to change our minds."

Michelle said that she hoped the global status of Paul Mitchell would help spread the word about cruelty-free cosmetics - claiming that more modern methods of testing that do not involve animals were more effective and more reliable.

The "no animal testing" message will be driven home in the latest advertising and marketing campaign for the brand.