What to Do When Someone Gives You A Non-Vegan Gift

I went to the dentist today to clean my teeth. I hated it. At the end of the session, I complimented the girl on how slim she looked and she decided to give me about ten free toothpastes. Flattery gets you far!

Anyway, I didn't want to be rude, so I accepted the gift, but I then wondered if Colgate toothpastes were vegan. I already use a vegan toothpaste that contains no animal products and is not tested on animals.

If I kept the Colgate toothpaste, I would end up using them, which means I buy fewer vegan products.

What I eventually did was give away the toothpaste to a family member. This family member is not vegan in any way. They were very happy to receive the toothpaste. By receiving the toothpaste, it means that they won't need to buy toothpaste for a while, which reduces the demand for animal products.

The moral of the story is that if someone gives you a non-vegan gift, simply give it away to a non-vegan.

Note that after I have given away the toothpaste, I have discovered that most Colgate toothpastes are in fact vegan in that they don't have any animal-derived ingredients. It should be noted that Colgate still tests its products on animals. However, according to Peta's assessment of the Colgate-Palmolive Co, "This company is working toward regulatory changes to reduce the number of animals used for testing. This company DOES test on animals." It is unclear then if Colgate tests on animals because it has to, and if Colgate is lobbying for regulatory change to reduce the amount of animal testing it is required to do by legislation, that is only a good thing. Nevertheless, there are many fully vegan toothpastes out there that not only have zero animal ingredients but also don't test on animals.