this is good news, but it's still is very upsetting that cosmetic companies don't care about what happens to their customers or the fact that the FDA has terrible regulations. it really is all about the money :(

How can a living being take a life from something else that is a living and breathing?
Where does that thinking come from?...It's just WRONG......

I think it wise on the part of the industry that they begin to recognize that we - the consumers - are starting to become educated in matters pertaining to health and well-being. And, that to continue to be productive amidst this significant change; they will find it necessary to follow the consumer.

i did not know any of this. it makes me sick to think i spent money to help them do such a thing.shows they onley have money it there hart, not love or caring.

its called population control there are so many carcinogens in our food, cosmetics, clothing, furniture, shoes.

We are the biggest science project on the earth.

Squalene is also in OLIVE OIL and that's even easier to come by, furthermore, as far as I know, it's not a GMO food. And you can buy it today and use it.

Congratulations to Unilever!
As we all become aware of "the right thing to do" responsible companies will follow. I appreciate the approach they're taken with the DOVE campaign on real beauty as well. It gives me hope for the future!

Call me clueless but I never knew there was a shark dervived bi-product in Dove. I adore Dove products. When will they make the change or have they started already? I ask so I'll know whether to toss out the current Dove I have (bought Christmas) or not....

It's all about the $$$$$$$. No company "cares" to do the right thing unless it has the ability to make them money.

Can someone answer this question? With all the thousands of animals suffering and dying every year in the name of cosmetic testing, why is it that over 7000 chemicals haven't even been verified as safe? It makes me sick to think of all those animals dying for nothing. What are they testing then?

As a few comments already mentioned, it is about the money - money for all the employees of the company, of course, but also for the company's shareholders. Who are the shareholders of all these corporations? Millions of American consumers. I, for one, don't know exactly where my 401(k) is invested. I think our responsibility as citizens and consumers is to not only buy products from companies that are using good, healthy practices, but also making sure that we aren't encouraging the problem by unknowingly investing in companies that continue to use unsafe and unhealthy practices.

Hithere, wanted to comment on your write up on squalene-we use a base of pure E>V>olive oil and find this active product is in the Olive Oil too-we talk alot to clients about its fabulous properties! BUt I am always amazed at how corporate business is always taking the easy road-when all the sharks are 'fished out' then they will have to look at what the vegetable world has to offer! What a cheek these guys have!!! Still most of the world loves to moan-but does nothing about it really! It will change in time! Sadly a few years down the road and we will not have sharks and whales to steal from! Good luck and thanks for your excellent articles.

It would be good to remember that you vote for these companies with your dollars. If you don't like what they're doing, don't give them your business. I suggest we all stop wanting someone else to take responsibility for our actions. Cocoa butter or coconut oil make great face creams. Do we really need products with lists of ingredients we can't even pronounce.

thanks to the environmental working group for making us all aware of the issues pertaining to our environment. This is a very malicious act of extracting the ingredients for our beauty products from already endangered sharks. It is a moment of disquiet for all of us that the cosmetic industry is enjoying the free ride towards human health and environmental degradation.

It is wonderful that many consumers are becoming aware of what's in their products. We need to keep pushing companies that we buy from to step up to the plate. There are companies out there (Arbonne International, Jason, Tom's, and others) who are concious about what they put in their products. We need to take responsibility for our own health and stop relying on the government with it's highly corrupt FDA to lead us around by the nose. This is Capitalism, not Socialism, after all...

I was unaware that squalene was being extracted from the liver of sharks.

I am an avid user of squalene oil (compressed from olive oil)and get it from a company in Maine called The Dirty Moose.

With so many plant sources available, I'm surprised that companies still rely upon animal fats and by-products to create products for use on the largest organ...our skin. We need to take a pro-active approach to investigate not only the ingredients in the foods we consume, but also in the products we use to clean our clothes, our homes and our bodies.
The FDA may not have set guidelines for companies to adhere to; but we certainly can make a difference. We need to challenge the status-quo by writing to the companies whose products we use to let them know what we will and will not tolerate in terms of their listing of ingredients. If enough of us take a stand, then companies will be forced to make consumer-required changes that will not only benefit our environment, but will also help their business remain profitable.

Nothing is said about what happened to the rest of the shark. Were they killing these animals just for the oil and then disposing of the rest of the animal...or where they using every part of this animal for human consumption?

I don't want to start a fight. I think all of these replies are very good. However, there was a reply about killing things that breath... I just wanted to point out anything living breathes. Including plants. So what should humans do to eat? Is this person a vegitarian, because even God says we can eat meat. I just eat organic. I use organic soaps, and foods. This way I don't have to worry about what's in this stuff.

unilever makes me sick they're endangering the tigers with their stupid soapstone mining.