The First 10 Years of Te Protejo

In this article, learn about the organization's journey from its founding through its first decade, along with some of the milestones that marked its growth and international presence.

El nacimiento de Te Protejo se remonta al año 2012, cuando nuestra directora general y fundadora, Camila Cortínez, se hizo una pregunta muy común entre las personas que comienzan a elegir productos cruelty free: ¿cómo son testeados mis cosméticos? A partir de ese cuestionamiento surgió la inquietud de investigar más a fondo y, durante esa búsqueda, descubrió que la experimentación en animales para cosmética era una realidad y que gran parte de la información disponible sobre esta temática se encontraba únicamente en inglés. Frente a este escenario, nació la necesidad de crear una organización que entregara información confiable sobre el mundo cruelty free, especialmente en español y dirigida a Latinoamérica.

Con el paso de los años, la causa cruelty free, al igual que otras iniciativas orientadas al cuidado del medioambiente, fue tomando cada vez más relevancia en el consumo de cosmética. En ese contexto, Te Protejo logró consolidarse como la primera organización en América Latina en contar con una certificación cruelty free oficial, además de mantener listados actualizados de marcas certificadas y posicionarse como una organización referente en la promoción de alternativas libres de testeo en animales en la región.

2012–2015

En 2013 comenzaron a certificarse las primeras marcas libres de testeo en animales bajo el sello Te Protejo en Chile. Al año siguiente, en 2014, se realizó el primer evento de la organización y, tras su buena recepción, en abril de 2015 se llevó a cabo la primera Feria Ecobelleza en el Centro Arte Alameda, reuniendo a diversos emprendimientos cruelty free y de consumo sustentable. Ese mismo año también se constituyó oficialmente ONG Te Protejo como una corporación sin fines de lucro, con un directorio y socias.

Stand de Te Protejo en 2014

2016

Following the success of the 2015 fair, the first edition of the Ecobelleza Fair was held in 2016 at the La Moneda Cultural Center. The event featured more than 50 booths from businesses committed to environmental and animal welfare and drew nearly 5,000 attendees.

That same year, major national brands began to receive the organization's "cruelty-free" certification, including Petrizzio and Pamela Grant.

Ecobelleza Fair at the La Moneda Cultural Center

2017

The public’s growing interest in the cruelty-free cause meant that 2017 was marked by new initiatives and events. That year, the fall and spring editions of the Ecobelleza Fair were held at the La Moneda Cultural Center. In addition, the initiative expanded to other cities, reaching Valparaíso and Concepción with the Ecobelleza Day event.

Ese mismo año, Te Protejo recibió el Lush Prize en la categoría “Concientización Pública”, reconocimiento internacional que busca apoyar iniciativas orientadas a terminar o reemplazar las pruebas en animales.

Nicole Valdebenito, Camila Cortínez, and Daniela Medina receiving the Lush Prize.

As one of the final initiatives of 2017, the #BeCrueltyFreeChile campaign was launched—an initiative aimed at promoting a ban on animal testing for cosmetics through legislative changes. The launch event was attended by animal rights advocates and various public figures who supported the cruelty-free cause.

2018

In 2018, the fall and spring editions of the Ecobelleza Fair were held once again at the La Moneda Cultural Center. In addition, a new edition of the Ecobelleza Fair took place in Concepción, bringing the cruelty-free cause to an ever-growing number of people in different cities across Chile.

En paralelo, y gracias al crecimiento de la organización en el país y al creciente interés por el mundo cruelty free, Te Protejo inició su expansión hacia otros países de la región, comenzando por Brasil y México y luego a Argentina, Perú y Colombia a través de presencia digital.

Por último, ONG Te Protejo funda Ecobelleza SPA, una empresa social que gestiona sus actividades comerciales.

2019

In 2019, the organization decided to innovate and expand the Ecobelleza initiatives to new venues. In May, the first Ecobelleza Festival was held at the Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, an event that brought together various startups and drew more than 17,000 attendees. Later, in October of that same year, the spring edition took place at Cerro Santa Lucía.

Ecobelleza Festival at the Estación Mapocho Cultural Center

Spring Eco-Beauty Fair at Cerro Santa Lucía

The Advocacy department also carried out activities that are now considered milestones for the organization. One of these was the “1,000 Rabbits” campaign, held at Paseo Bandera in Santiago, Chile, where a day-long event was organized to collect signatures and raise public awareness about the need for legislation banning animal testing for cosmetics. This initiative was also replicated in Mexico, where the public had the opportunity to learn more about the “Be Cruelty-Free” campaign.

"1,000 Rabbits" Event on Paseo Bandera

During that same period, the organization received yet another award for its work in the region: the Viva Schmidheiny Award, in the category “Entrepreneurship with Environmental Impact in Latin America.”

2020

In early 2020, the launch event for the “Liberte-se da Crueldade” campaign took place in Brazil. The event was held on Paulista Avenue and garnered public support through a petition drive. At the same time, in Chile, the organization introduced a bill seeking to ban animal testing for cosmetics.

Due to the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization had to adapt the way it carried out its advocacy work and engaged with socially conscious businesses and consumers. In light of this, it was decided to continue the Ecobelleza initiatives while innovating their format. That year saw the first Ecobelleza in August, and the event was repeated as a Christmas edition in December 2020.

These activities also led to another recognition for the organization: the Viva Schmidheiny Award, in the “Adaptation During the COVID-19 Pandemic” category.

2021–2022

In April 2021, a major milestone for the global cruelty-free movement occurred with the release of the stop-motion short film *Save Ralph*, which raised awareness among thousands of people who, until then, were unaware of the practices to which animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice are subjected in laboratory testing.

El cortometraje, dirigido por Spencer Susser, fue impulsado por Humane Society International y, en América Latina, contó con Te Protejo como organización encargada de su divulgación.

Ralph’s story had a significant impact, as it helped drive legislative progress and strengthen citizen engagement in the cause. Among the key outcomes are the collection of more than one million signatures on online petitions in Brazil and Mexico; the progress of the bill in Chile following its approval by the Health Committee and the Chamber of Deputies; and the ban on animal testing for cosmetics in Mexico through an amendment to the General Health Law.

Closing of the "Be Cruelty-Free" Campaign in Mexico

Al cumplirse la primera década de trabajo de la organización, Te Protejo contaba con más de 200 marcas certificadas oficialmente como cruelty free en sus listados para Chile y México, ampliando las opciones de compra consciente y libre de crueldad para miles de personas.

The organization would like to thank everyone who has joined us on this journey over the past ten years, contributing to the organization’s growth and supporting the cruelty-free cause, which has enabled us to make progress in protecting thousands of animals from these practices.
If you’d like to see the progress made in recent years, check out the reports and historical financial statements and follow the organization’s work on social media: @ongteprotejo on TikTok, @teprotejo on Instagram, and @teprotejo on LinkedIn.