Tom's of Maine.
Just wondering why there seems to be some confusion about them among vegans. I hear some vegans praise Tom's of Maine and others seem to steer clear like they are dairy farmers who make tooth paste or something. I know they were bought out by Colgate-Palmolive, but I thought I read that they havent changed their products or anything. So why the discontinued support? Still seems like a great brand to support to me.. Is there something I'm missing? I'm at the point where I've finally filtered out all my old non-vegan toiletries and household cleansing products for the most part, in favor of vegan ones, and any info would be great.
And for a food related question (just because), I'm taking my dad out for a birthday lunch in a week. We decided on a nice Thai place, but I've since wondered if maybe he would be open to enjoying a vegan chinese restaurant with me to experience something new and get in on this vegan thing his daughter has picked up.. For those of you familiar with the Orlando, FL area it is called Garden Cafe and is amazing! He's very supportive of my veganism but is pretty much a meat and potatoes kind of man. My Q is, do you think I should treat my dad to a non-vegan meal at a thai place (kind of uncomfortable about putting my money in that market.. but it's my daddy.. :() or take him to a vegan restaurant and risk him not liking the food?
At this point I think I'll just ask him upfront.. In that case, is it terribly bad of me to treat a meal of duck for a parent's birthday? He's been awful supportive of me and I dont want to come off as completely self-serving by taking him to a totally vegan place.. But.... Meh.
Someone yesterday told me about Tom's of Maine being owned by Colgate-Palmolive, and The Body Shop being bought out by Loreal. I regret I haven't followed the corporate takeovers closely and don't know how they will affect their products, if Tom's and Body Shop will still be consistent with their cruelty-free ethics.
About your Dad, ...I say ask him where he wants to go, and offer suggestions. That way you'll both be happy.
Take him to Garden Cafe. I LOVE that place ! Just tell him you want to take him out to one of your favorite places......the food is so good there! Although if he is anything like my dad, he won't step food in the place. My dad won't go ANYWHERE that I like to eat-he has actually said that if I like a restaurant, he won't go there :-\
If I had a nicer dad, I would love to take him there, so why don't you do it so I can live vicariously through you! :D
As far as Thom's. I have the same questions, so can't help you there!
I agree about the home cooked meal, but for us its really just a matter of time schedules conflicting. Even though I got the day off from work for his bday, he's not even sure if HE'LL have the day off! Meeting up for lunch is easier for us when it will likely be a last minute thing, as unfortunate as that is. Thanks for replying! I think I'll take the advice of a previous commenter and just tell him I'm taking him to one of my favorite places and their food is great.. And add in that Royal Thai is closed for lunch, and I forgot ::) Which, actually, is the truth.. Haha. Next time I'll make sure I keep my mouth shut before raving about "Royal Thai" and then realizing, "Oh yeah.. its not like he'd be ordering the pad khing tofu with me."
I have a tube of Tom's toothpaste that says "no animal ingredients and Tom's of Maine does not practice testing on animals." I think Tom's is still true to their initial claim :)
Tom's has never really been my favorite natural brand so I'm not giving anything up. I personaly try to buy products from smaller companies that are more earth, animal, and people friendly when I can. I try really hard to look for the alternative. I just feel better about giving them my money. I love desert essence tea tree oil toothpaste. Here is the site.
http://www.desertessence.com/
I definitely like to support smaller companies, however it's nice to actually see that a natural brand -- Tom's -- has gained a lot of attention and therefore more production. Tom's is even available at Wal-Mart, and although most of us don't like to support the monster conglomerate, it's nice to know that a natural brand has some availability.
Tom's has never really been my favorite natural brand so I'm not giving anything up. I personaly try to buy products from smaller companies that are more earth, animal, and people friendly when I can. I try really hard to look for the alternative. I just feel better about giving them my money. I love desert essence tea tree oil toothpaste. Here is the site.
http://www.desertessence.com/
Ah! :) I have their organic coconut body lotion and I lurve it. I didn't know they made all that other stuff ^_^;; Thanks tanevab! Next time I am coming up short on personal products, etc I'll pay a visit to their site.
If you buy Toms of Maine, even though their products are mostly vegan and not tested, you are financially supporting a company that does test (profits go to Colgate-Palmolive). I will keep Tom's products an option if I find nothing else but for now, I'm looking towards smaller, independent brands.
i've seen tom's of maine available at Walmart. i love their toothpaste, and as long as they stay true to their ethics i'll continue to buy it
There's the Heritage Store (Alka-Thyme, Ipsab, Ipsadent, ...)
and Maharishi Ayurveda (Ayurdent, ...) as alternatives Tom's of Maine.
I have a tube of Tom's toothpaste that says "no animal ingredients and Tom's of Maine does not practice testing on animals." I think Tom's is still true to their initial claim :)
The problem is that, while they say they don't use animal ingredients, they are not 100% vegan. They use propolis and beeswax. Now, we all know what beeswax is, but I had no idea what propolis was until I stumbled upon an article about Tom's of Maine products not being vegan. Propolis is "a red or brown resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds, used by them to fill crevices and to seal and varnish honeycombs". It always misleads me when companies claim that their products contain no animal ingredients, which makes me think "vegan". Not always true.
i've seen tom's of maine available at Walmart. i love their toothpaste, and as long as they stay true to their ethics i'll continue to buy it
Our Wal-Mart has the kiddie variety of Tom's of Maine toothpaste. I don't like sweet toothpaste so I'm not going to buy it in case it's sweet. I have a weird problem, most toothpastes make me puke a lot of the time (I am very serious) so I brush without them most of the time. I should use baking soda and peroxide but that's almost as bad as regular toothpaste. I brush at least three times as long as I would if I were using toothpaste and my DH says my breath doesn't stink. My teeth aren't as white as I'd like them to be but that's probably more age and coffee drinking than poor hygiene. I haven't looked to see if there are any homemade toothpastes besides baking soda and peroxide that might work for me. I guess that's what I'll do next.
The only thing I heard about Tom's was that they contribute to Right Wing groups. This obviously isn't a problem for everyone, but it's made me steer clear of their products. Has anyone else heard this? As far as I can tell it's an old report--older than the Colgate buy-out. I'm a huge fan of the Jason toothpaste, personally.
most toothpastes make me puke a lot of the time (I am very serious) so I brush without them most of the time. I should use baking soda and peroxide but that's almost as bad as regular toothpaste. I brush at least three times as long as I would if I were using toothpaste and my DH says my breath doesn't stink.
Same here!!!
DH also says without toothpaste he brushes MUCH longer. The dentist actually told us NOT to use toothpaste! She said it gives people a false sense of clean (due to yummy fresh minty taste ;)) when they actually haven't brushed long enough! We don't use anything. We do have toothpaste but I guess maybe I use it once every two weeks? Maybe... :)
The only thing I heard about Tom's was that they contribute to Right Wing groups.
Really? Definitely would like to know more about that... I'm new to using vegan products and one of the first brands I thought of as being "safe" was Tom's. Darn.
there was a mention of the body shop being bought out, but i dont see how ownership of them in particular matters. havent they always had lanolin in a good portion of their products?
http://www.tomsofmaine.com/faq/#C1
General Company Questions
Is it true that your company and Tom and Kate support anti-abortion groups?
No, this is not true. It is a rumor that has been circulating for some time. We do not, nor have we ever, taken a stand on the abortion issue, either for or against. We hope that the individuals responsible for starting the rumor and for repeating it will hear it is false and stop.
We are very proud of our charitable donations. At the present time, we donate 10% of our pre-tax dollars to charitable organizations. The majority of these are environmental organizations, the arts, and charitable groups such as homeless shelters. Tom’s of Maine has never taken a position on reproductive issues as a company nor have we made any corporate contribution or grant to any organization whose mission is to change existing laws governing abortion or access to it. Because Tom’s of Maine respects the diverse opinions of our owners, employees, customers, and retail partners, we do not believe it is appropriate for us to advocate for a specific political viewpoint as a company.
While we respect that abortion is an important issue for many people, we do not feel it is our place as a company to interfere in such a private and personal matter. Instead we show our interest in a better world by encouraging participation in community building and engagement with environmental issues. Issues such as these are transformative and hold the potential to unite us in the pursuit of common goals instead of dividing us into rigid political factions.
To read more about our Giving for Goodness program and see a list of the charitable organizations we have supported, click here.
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Well, that's good news! Thanks for the research jenniferhughes. I'm going to keep on with my Jason products, but it's definitely good to know!