Animal Testing On Cosmetic Products

A Few of the most commonly used cosmetics. Photo Courtesy / Blakevond

By Lauren Shook

A&E Editor

Each morning, many women wake up and begin their daily routine. They use their favorite hair and makeup products to try to look their best to start the day. Increasingly, internet “makeup gurus” are also bursting with popularity.

These internet bloggers make money off their millions of followers. Their videos feature tons of products and ways to get the best-looking makeup.

Makeup gurus often have sponsors or are mailed free trials of products due to their large audiences. Therefore, they often promote products in videos and tutorials for hundreds of thousands of people to watch.

However, not all beauty bloggers delve into how these products are made. A large issue with the cosmetic industry is the recurrent usage of animal testing by cosmetic companies. To ensure that products are safe for humans to use, many companies take to animal testing. Unfortunately, it is not illegal for animal testing to occur in the United States.

According to the FDA, “Animal testing by manufacturers seeking to market new products may be used to establish product safety.” The FDA website states that while it fully supports the search for alternatives to animal testing, they also support “the most humane methods available within the limits of scientific capability when animals are used for testing the safety of cosmetic products.”

Despite claims that only humane methods of testing are allowed on animals, images and video footage reveal the harmful treatment of animals in testing facilities.

Animals that are tested go through unbearable experiments. They experience cuts, burns, are tied down and more. Their daily laboratory existence consists of suffering with little relief.

One reason that animal testing should be deemed illegal is because there are countless other alternatives to this harmful partaking. According to Cruelty-Free International, some of these alternatives are cell cultures, human tissues, computer models, volunteer studies and human medical breakthroughs.

The reliability of animal testing is also greatly questioned by various sources.

“The standard test on pregnant rats to find out if chemicals or drugs may harm the developing baby can only detect 60% of dangerous substances,” states Cruelty-Free International.

“But a cell-based alternative (EST) has 100% accuracy at detecting very toxic chemicals.”

Despite the available alternatives to this brutal process, many cosmetic companies continue to test on animals. According to PETA and Neavs, Avon, Aveeno, Covergirl, Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Mary Kay, Revlon and many more continue to test on animals. Growing awareness by consumers has also ensured that going cruelty-free does not mean the end of profit for a company.

In the world of cosmetics and skin care, it is increasingly important that buyers know that their products are cruelty-free. Therefore, changing testing processes does not mean a decrease in success or profit in any way.

According to an article by the Huffington Post, “A March 2015 Neilson survey found that ‘not tested on animals’ was the most important packaging claim among those surveyed.” Therefore, becoming a cruelty-free company can only help companies to improve in popularity and success.

Many makeup fanatics will only buy products that are not tested on animals. It is increasingly important to the public that their products are all natural and cruelty-free.

Some best-selling cosmetic companies that are cruelty-free are Kat Von D, Anastasia Beverly and Elf. All are wildly successful, and especially supported by users for being cruelty-free.

Brands such as Nyx, Tarte and NARS are also well-known cruelty-free cosmetic brands. However, their parent companies, Shiseido, Kose, and L’Oreal are not.

Many customers will stray from brands whose parent companies are not cruelty free due to association alone.

With the technological advances available today, animal testing should not continue.

Various alternatives exist to test the safety of products without harming the lives of other living creatures.

It is also important to note once more that results from animal testing are not always representative of safety levels for humans.

It is not morally right to test on animals. Nor is it any more feasible for a company to continue animal testing than it is to test in another way.

The number of customers and makeup fanatics who purchase cruelty-free makeup is constantly growing.

It is essential to many people that their makeup is all-natural and also cruelty-free. By becoming a cruelty-free company, distributors could even make money from the number of customers who would now be willing to purchase their product that previously had not.

Harming defenseless creatures at the expense of our own beauty is selfish and hypocritical. How beautiful can your product truly make you if in its creation it harmed, or even killed, many innocent animals?

Email Laura at:

lshook2@live.esu.edu