Attention makeup addicts and cosmetic cravers!
I want to ask you all a very important question: What if your beloved pet was taken to a laboratory where various horrific experiments were performed on them in order to test the safety of our beauty products? Products that we use frequently and take for granted easily, such as cleansers, shampoos and makeup? It’s time for everyone to realize that animals are tortured pointlessly for the sake of our cosmetics. It is a fact that every year millions of animals are killed due to cosmetic testing in order to establish the safety of the products. However, the FDA does not require animal testing and there are alternative methods available. Many companies already use these methods, and these are the companies I encourage you to buy from. I would hope you would not be comfortable buying a product brought to you as a result of torturing innocent animals. Considering there is such an array of cosmetic products available that secretly stem from abuse, wouldn’t you make the choice to discourage this destructive reality?
Animal testing is a completely unnecessary and inhumane experiment.
By doing this, we are essentially saying that animals cannot experience pain or suffering and are far less important than human life. Animals should be our friends, not our testing tools. Cosmetic testing is performed on animals to measure levels of skin irritancy, eye tissue damage and toxicity levels caused by the ingredients in the product.For example, a certain test called the “Draize test” entails putting acidic, burning substances in the eyes of rabbits to evaluate damage. This causes extreme pain for the animals, and they often scream and break their necks from attempting to release themselves from restraint. Another test, called the “Lethal Dosage” test, involves subjects which are forced to digest poisonous substances through stomach tubes, vapor sprays (like hair spray) and injection.
Imagine if you were forced to drink your own hair spray just to see if you would die or not! Half of these animals are sacrificed for the sake of something as mundane as hairspray, and the other half suffer from convulsions, vomiting, and bleeding from the eyes, mouth, nose and rectum. Researchers even burn animals, cut them open in surgeries and mangle them. According to PETA, 219 lab animals are killed every minute in the U.S. alone. Not only is this cruel, it also produces inaccurate outcomes. Each result varies by species, and therefore effects on humans cannot be properly assessed. Companies are not required to carry out animal testing. This method allows researchers to manipulate the information they receive and control the outcome, which also means you can never know the true effects. All around, animal testing is an example of an abuse of power and a misuse of intelligence.
There are other alternatives to animal testing, such as the use of cell and tissue cultures, corneas from eye banks, and highly developed computer and mathematical tools. With the technology we have now, there should be no excuse for the abuse of animals. Until the much-needed law is passed to stop it altogether, we must not support the companies that practice these methods. In our consumer-driven nation, we must use our purchasing power to send a message to manufacturers that testing on animals isn’t right. Europe has already passed a ban on animal testing, so why hasn’t the U.S.? Start spreading the word today. To prevent the possibility of a product being animal tested, buy non-toxic and natural products. There is a list of hundreds of available companies that do not animal test on the Web site leapingbunny.org. Here is a list I compiled of just a few of the many companies that commit animal testing that I think we are all very familiar with and can do our best to avoid. Be aware that many companies that claim they do not test on animals are under the jurisdiction of larger corporations that do, so technically you are still supporting the act. For example, Clairol is the parent company of Herbal Essences, which claim they’re cruelty free, but Clairol does own animal testing labs to carry out experiments for other lines of products. Make sure you check who the distributor is before you are deceived by this illusion.
Some companies that test on animals are: Arm & Hammer, Ponds, Clairol, Johnson & Johnson, Playtex (Banana Boat), Olay Co., Dove, Proctor and Gamble Corp., L’Oreal U.S.A., Max Factor
Some companies that DO NOT animal test are: Clarins, Dermalogica, Estee Lauder, Kiss my Face, Origins, Too Faced, Zia, Stila, MAC, Paul Mitchell
If we do not start a movement against animal testing by purchasing products that refuse such cruelty, we will not end the vicious cycle. You don’t deserve toxic ingredients either! It’s not hard to find the same product you need manufactured by an animal friendly company. Chances are if a product doesn’t make a point to say it was not tested on animals, it probably was. I hope you agree that it’s more beautiful knowing that the products you think make you look and feel better are not destroying the beauty and the life of an innocent animal.
To start saving the lives of animals today, you can take action by going home and calling any toll free number of a product that you may have that has been tested on animals, or find their number online and give them a piece of your mind. You can also request a free “Compassionate Shopping Guide” by calling (800) SAY-AAVS. You can even take one minute out of your day to sign the online petition at animalsmatterUSA.org and recruit your friends as well. The opportunities to discourage animal testing are endless, so why accept it? But more importantly, you should keep in mind that every purchase you make is a vote, and by purchasing non-animal tested products and discouraging the ones that do, you’re voting to put an end to it.
-Sophia Salzberg
