|
|
|
Animals are being tortured and killed for beauty products
Hundreds of thousands animals suffer and die for cosmetics every year
It is estimated that 100,000-200,000 animals suffer and die for cosmetics every year around the world. Animals tested for cosmetics are rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice. Dogs and monkeys are not used to test cosmetics, but they are used to test other types of chemicals.
The EU animal testing ban doesn’t guarantee that the cosmetics are cruelty-free
Animal testing for cosmetics is banned in India, the European Union (EU), Israel, Norway and New Zealand. As of 2013 it’s illegal in the EU to sell new cosmetics products or their ingredients that have been tested on animals. The ban also applies to imports from countries outside the EU. However, the monitoring of the law is problematic as no authority actually checks that the cosmetics entering EU territory have not been tested on animals. Also, many cosmetic products contain pharmaceutical ingredients that have been tested on animals, and these cosmetics can be marketed and sold in the EU. Household cleaning products are still tested on animals in the EU. The best way to know whether a product has been tested on animals or not is to check out the databases of cruelty-free products and companies at the end of this page.
Cosmetic products that contain pharmaceutical ingredients that have been tested on animals because of the EU’s rules governing pharmaceutical products can also still be marketed in Europe.
Cosmetic products that contain pharmaceutical ingredients that have been tested on animals because of the EU’s rules governing pharmaceutical products can also still be marketed in Europe.
Animal testing still linked to cosmetics in China
Animal testing is no longer mandatory for all imported cosmetics in China, but it has not disappeared. While some everyday products can now be sold without animal testing, many cosmetics - especially “special-use” products - may still be tested on animals. Authorities can also require testing after products reach the market. This means that brands claiming to be “cruelty-free” in other regions can still be connected to animal testing when selling in China. Because of this, organizations like PETA continue to question or exclude such companies from their cruelty-free lists.
Animal testing for cosmetics is unethical and unnecessary
Animal testing for cosmetics is still allowed in 80% of the countries in the world. To subject animals to extremely painful tests for cosmetics is not just unethical, but it’s also unnecessary. There are thousands of ingredients for cosmetics that are already known to be safe and that can be used when developing new cosmetics. There are also dozens of non-animal tests that are valuable, quicker and more accurate at predicting human reactions to a product than animal tests can ever be.
Animals are poisoned, burned and blinded for cosmetics tests
During the Draize eye-test, rabbits are immobilized in full-body restraints while a substance is dripped into their eyes. Rabbits often scream in pain and many break their necks trying to get free. The rabbits have sensitive eyes with only little tear fluid, so the test substances stay in their eyes for long. The substances can cause burning pain, inflammation, or even corrosion. The test results are monitored up to seven days. In skin-irritation tests conducted on guinea pigs the substance is rubbed onto the animals’ shaved and sometimes scratched skin or, alternatively, the substance is injected. The lab animals are kept in small, barren cages where they cannot fulfil any of their behavioural and social needs.
Animal testing for Botox
Botulinum toxin, best known by the name Botox, is used to prevent development of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. Despite the EU ban on the use of animals for cosmetic testing, Botox is tested on animals because it is licensed for medical use, and it is a product that is injected and not applied to the skin (the definition of a cosmetic). In the LD50 (Lethal Dose) poisoning test mice are injected in the abdomen with different dosages of botulinum toxin in order to find the dose which kills half the animals. The test involves horrific suffering for the animals who suffocate slowly through muscle paralysis while fully conscious.
Please choose cruelty-free products!
There’s a wide range of fabulous cruelty-free cosmetics and household products that are not tested on animals to choose from. Please see e.g. PETA’s database of companies that don’t test on animals or Leaping Bunny's database of cruelty-free products.
More information:
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/cosmetic-household-products-animal-testing/
https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/animals-still-die-in-the-name-of-beauty-13-years-after-eu-cosmetics-testing-bans/
https://www.humaneworld.org/en/issue/cosmetics-animal-testing-FAQ