Blogpost 7: Cruelty Free

Cosmetics have been and will always be a part of our daily lives, but how are we sure that these cosmetics are safe for humans? It is first tested to animals to see if they have bad reactions to it, and if it does, alas its not safe for humans. Animal testing started a very long time ago, when people started making cosmetics and medicines, because there was a time when a lot of people died because of infections and intoxication because of using those cosmetics and medicines. Ever since then many companies have started to use animals to tests their new products to ensure that it is safe to use by humans, but now is it still necessary to use these helpless creatures for our advantage? I think not anymore.


According to an article entitled "Do Cosmetic Companies Still Test on Live Animals?" by Jim Bridgeport, The Draize test was devised back in 1944 by U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) toxicologist John Draize to evaluate the risks of normal short-term exposure to new cosmetics and other personal care products. Still used by some companies, the test involves applying a small amount of the substance under study to an animal's eye or skin for several hours, and then observing whether or not irritation occurs over the following week or two. In most cases the animals subjects- usually albino rabbits bred for the lab- are put to death after sometimes maiming and often painful test.

 According to the non-profit organization named National Anti- Vivisection Society (NAVS), The Draize Test causes "extreme discomfort and pain" to the animals involved. In the eye version of the test, rabbits are placed in restraining stocks and their eyelids are held open with clips, in some cases for days at a time, to keep  them from blinking away the test solutions. As for the skin version of the test, animals' fur is shaved and then several layers of skin are removed with sticky tape before technicians apply test substance and cover over the abraded area with plastic sheeting. NAVS reports that either version of the test can cause "intense burning, itching and pain" and can leave subjects "ulcerated and bleeding".

A major protest campaign in the 1980's raised awareness among consumers and within the cosmetics industry about how harsh and inhumane The Draize Test could be for the animal subject. Many cosmetics companies swore off the Draize Test as a result in intervening years, though other similar albeit less draconian forms of animal tests remain prevalent throughout the cosmetics and personal care products industry.

Bridgeport said, "Another reason many companies are moving away from the Draize Test is that considerable information has already been yielded and recorded from past testing. Many companies are taking closer looks at the result of tests done years ago to glean information on how safe similar ingredients in their new products are without having to carry out new tests on new generations of lab animals." this is actually true, why should they test the same products again when they have already been tested before, and they should just use those results as basis for future use. An alternative to animal testing are conducted on cell cultures, human and animal corneas from eye banks, corneal tissue cultures and frozen cornea supplied by hospitals.

According to another article entitled "Animal Testing on Cosmetics" by Harriet Williamson, the ban on testing of cosmetics has been in the pipeline for quite a while. The European Union introduced the first sanction in 2004 and by 2009, and sometime in 2013, it has been made illegal to market any cosmetic products in the EU that have involved animal testing, regardless of where in the world the test were made.

There are big companies from the European Union who wants to sell in the Chinese market, but because China has a legal requirement that cosmetics should be tested before they can be sold, this can only mean that even though the product is from the EU, people might still be supporting a company that tests on animals elsewhere in the world.

Williamson said, "To shop with confidence, choose products with the Leaping Bunny logo, endorsed by Cruelty Free International. These products have passed a stringent standards examination and do not sell products in China." I am very thankful that there are organizations like this that exists, because we need them to help spread an advocacy about how bad animal testing is. People should start using this products with the Leaping Bunny logo as a protest to those cosmetic companies who are still using this inhumane method so they too can realize that what they are doing is wrong.

In my opinion, animal testing should be stopped because, what they are doing is wrong and is very inhumane. Animals are living creatures that should be cared about and loved, and as humans we should help them by not continuing to support those companies who are still in favor of this method. We already have the technology to use to test whether or not a product is safe to use. Companies should start using alternatives that doesn't involve harming any living creature.