I've also run across sales reps who didn't know their products, and who were trying like hell to appeal to the green / cruelty-free market. A few careful questions were effective in exposing their misrepresentation of the product.
At a Northern California environmental expo in 2007, I spoke with a guy who was selling "highly-concentrated" personal care products. He said that his company was able to minimize the packaging of their liquid soaps and shampoos, because they had almost eliminated the water from the formula. But, when I pointed out the ingredients on the shampoo bottle in his hand, the first ingredient was WATER! He was speechless.
About 25 years ago, I was at an environmental exposition in Los Angeles. A small dairy company was there, run by a brother and sister team. Their booth displayed photos of relaxed cows, lounging in grassy fields. I asked them, "Oh, are your cows allowed to live out their full lifespans, after their milk production declines?". The brother said, "Actually, no, they are sent to a glue factory." In response, I criticized them, rather loudly, for posting photos that falsely suggested that their cows were well-treated. The sister started crying! Well, I can't say that I was really sorry.
.
.
