Procter & Gamble Bans Badger-Hair Shaving Brushes

Procter & Gamble (P&G) will no longer sell badger-hair shaving brushes through its Art of Shaving brand. The company decided to replace the cruelly begotten animal fibers with vegan alternatives after becoming aware of a recent exposé released by animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The report revealed trappers illegally capturing badgers in the wild, confining them in small cages, and violently beating them to death with objects such as chair legs. “When PETA reached out to P&G about this report on the badger hair industry, we were very disturbed to learn of these terrible practices. While we have no evidence that any of our suppliers are engaging in these types of methods, we believe we can play a role in helping to stop such practices,” the company said in a statement. “With this in mind, we have decided to stop sourcing badger hair immediately in our The Art of Shaving business. In addition, while we finish selling our existing inventory of shaving brushes, we will accelerate our efforts to develop even better alternatives for the future. These commitments are in keeping with P&G’s ongoing efforts to pursue non-animal alternatives.” Badger hair is used in a number of industries, and PETA is calling upon art supply store Blick, body care brand Baxter of California, and The New York Shaving Company to ban the animal product.