Beauty with Integrity: Why We Must Boycott Ahava

By Iara Beitelho for InfoAmericas, May 2009

Beauty making and self-care is a thriving industry, but behind some of the best brands lies some serious and gross ethical violations. Ahava, a very well-known skincare company, has been profiting from minerals extracted from the Dead Sea—a region that is considered part of the occupied Palestinian territories. Criticism coming from these human rights organizations has risen to such an extent that it has now called for a boycott against Ahava. This article will detail why boycotting Ahava is important and the way consumers can actually make beauty choices within integrity and for social justice.

Ahava Boycott: Exploiting Palestinian Resources

Ahava markets itself to consumers as an upscale cosmetics manufacturer using minerals extracted from the Dead Sea, but what consumers do not know is that Ahava is extracting those minerals from the occupied West Bank. While international law does not explicitly bar the exploitation of natural resources within an occupied territory for economic gain, it does require the citizens of that occupied territory to grant that authorization, and the Ahava company has clearly been mone­tizing goods to which it has no claim.

As Ahava performs these actions, it participates in the occupation and steals resources and rights from Palestinians over their territory. In addition to violating international law, this strips the economically impoverished and neglected under-occupation Palestinian communities of economic opportunities.

Local Communities

Ahava s resource exploitation directly impacts the livelihoods of those Palestinians who are residents of the occupied land. The existence of occupation has significantly diminished their resources: water, land, and even economic prospects. Ahava’s operations at the West Bank consolidate these hardships by exploiting Palestinian resources and exporting whatever surplus to the mother organization and Israeli colonies as profit without any trickle down at the grassroots level.

A reality as problematic for consumers who value fairness and justice is that; with the purchase of Ahava products, they are indirectly funding a system whose philosophy entirely violates human rights and economic justice. Holding such boycotts as for Ahava becomes a necessity to stand in solidarity with the communities of Palestine and demand accountability for their exploitation.

Why Boycotting Ahava Matters

In this sense, boycotting Ahava would appear to be symbolic but is still part of the call for justice and equality. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS, would specifically target the companies that benefit from the Israeli occupation; through economic pressure against businesses such as Ahava, the present need to end the acts becomes inescapable. Refusing to give support to brands that exploit is a form of influence over corporate actions and the promotion of human rights.

Consumer boycotts have been a successful tool for social and political changes over centuries. Such campaigns mount the pressure on an organization compelling it to think otherwise about its way of business and behave more responsibly. Consumer boycott of Ahava calls for stating loudly that beauty costs too much if human rights are violated.

The Role of Activism in the Beauty Industry

Besides individual activism, like boycotting, another important aspect is awareness campaigns against unscrupulous practice in the beauty world. Organizations like stolenbeauty.org are part of a campaign meant to raise consumer awareness that Ahava, while exploiting Palestinian resources, is not fulfilling the role of a responsible corporate citizen. This includes sponsoring petitions, advocacy through social media, public outreach, keeping the companies accountable, and promoting ethical alternatives.

Consumer activism can change things dramatically. It can be enough to muster public opinion and continually bring to the attention of the public the unethical practices of such a company as Ahava so that businesses might be led to reform their operations. More than this, the campaigns for ethical consumerism will incite citizens to make better choices as to their consumerism of the product.

The Wider Implications of Ethical Consumerism

The call to boycott Ahava is a part of the movement toward ethical consumerism where shoppers make informed buying decisions based on the social responsibility or ecological achievements of a company. Consumers can now take a role in building their ideals for an improved society by promoting businesses that consider human rights and the well-being of the environment.

Boycotting Ahava is resisting the occupation of the territories, yet it also reminds people that their choices for good can alter industries. And when consumers raise more demands to be transparent and ethical, companies will either get on with ethical practices or lose their customer base. It will transform the beauty industry, which previously sold personal care into respecting and upholding global social justice.

Conclusion

Boycotting Ahava is more than a stance against one specific company; it forms a commitment to furthering human rights and integrity in the beauty industry. Ahava’s exploitation of Palestinian resources underlines the larger issue of corporate responsibility in these conflict zones where businesses should be made accountable for their actions. This way, consumers can at least demonstrate disapproval of exploitation and indicate that it should not continue to be tolerated; still more, they can express the belief that beauty and strength, or even merely beauty, should be founded upon better values.