For the record... With great improvements in European Law with regard to animal welfare in the cosmetics industry, the RSPCA Good Business Awards stopped including Cosmetics businesses in the Awards after 2009. For the record though, 2009 winners and finalists are still highlighted in Good Things - we think they still deserve recognition. Please bear in mind that the products refer to summer 2010.

No bull Bulldog

Some are born winners, some have to work at it. Bulldog is a natural.

Winners in 2008 and highly commended in last year’s RSPCA Good Business Awards, Bulldog continue their commitment to taking a leading role in the improvement of animal welfare in the cosmetics business. A commitment that isn’t going unnoticed.

Bulldog are proud to be the UK’s first and largest natural skincare brand for men. The Bulldog range was born out of frustration that there were no options available for switched-on men who wanted to reduce the number of man-made chemicals in their bathrooms. All Bulldog products are body friendly and don’t contain controversial man-made chemicals such as parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colors, or synthetic fragrances. Instead, Bulldog products are loaded with essential oils and other natural actives.

All Bulldog products challenge industry conventions on ingredients, packaging, marketing and ethics. Bulldog products are never tested on animals and never include ingredients derived from animal sources. Bulldog is the first male skincare company to be approved by the BUAV as ‘cruelty free’ under their Humane Cosmetics Standard.

For the founders of the company, the Bulldog represented all of the positive attributes of men. They saw that a great deal of men were being put off using normal skincare products by traditionally female brands because they didn’t like the synthetic formulations and harsh ingredients, or because they didn’t identify with the conventional body-beautiful stereotypes of men as portrayed through the big brands’ advertising campaigns. By contrast the Bulldog may not have a rippling six pack - in fact, he’s quite wrinkly - but he’s also tenacious, loyal, honest, hard working and protective. Just like ‘man’s best friend’.

Walking the dog

Bulldog products, which range from £2.99 to £6.49, are widely available across the UK and can be found in Sainsbury’s, Boots, Tesco, Waitrose, Superdrug, Ocado, Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic.

Bulldog are also celebrating becoming the first male grooming company to launch Fairtrade skincare products. The new range, which consists of Bulldog Eco-System Shave Gel and Bulldog Eco-System Moisturiser, launched in the spring.

The new products include natural Fairtrade ingredients from across the globe, like organic green tea from Sri Lanka, organic shea butter from Ghana, organic sugar from Paraguay, sesame seed oil from Nicaragua, and organic Brazil nut oil from Peru.

Find out more about Bulldog and their products at www.meetthebulldog.com