This first post is about why I am so supportive of brands like Lush Cosmetics, The Body Shop and Nature's Organics. If you like/love animals, are a vegetarian or vegan or think that bunnies are cute, I would really appreciate it if you read on.
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| http://wfiles.brothersoft.com/r/rabbit_22_41257-1280x1024.jpg |
I started thinking about animal testing years ago, when I first started shopping at The Body Shop. The big signs - "Fighting Animal Testing" - called my thoughts for the first time to where my cosmetics might be coming from, and what was in them.
After research and experience, I found what really happens behind closed doors of big companies - and it horrified me. Companies that test on animals have no concerns for welfare and regularly carry out gruesome tests on restrained and unanaesthetised animals (usually rabbits, mice and rats) such as:
- Toxicity Tests
Animals are force-fed substances to determine toxicity. The animals are used to determine how poisonous a substance is by observing how much of the substance it takes to kill the animal. Basically, the animals die painful and traumatic deaths by poisoning. Any animals that are not already dead by the end of the toxicity test are killed.
- Draize Eye Tests
Concentrated substances are applied to the eyes of the animals to determine levels of irritation. This results in blistering, bleeding, swelling, discharge and blindness due to destruction of the cornea.
- Draize Patch Tests
The animals are restrained in devices, shaven until raw and the test product is then applied. This can result in severe burns and infections.
Not only are these tests cruel, they also have dubious scientific value, often providing unclear or inconsistent results. So why do companies carry out these tests? Simply because they want to protect themselves if the harmful chemicals in their products cause a human customer to sue - because the company can then say, "Oh, but we've done hundreds of tests on animals and the product was fine."
But this leads to another, bigger question: If companies think that the chemicals in their products are toxic enough to kill rabbits, why are they selling them to humans?
Any cosmetics that are fit and healthy for human use should not need to be tested on animals. All cosmetic products should be safe enough to test on paid humans from the start. It is simply because companies use cheap but dangerous chemicals in their products that they test their products on animals for factors such as toxicity. And this is where the problem lies - companies value cheap ingredients over the welfare of animals or their customers.
But how do you know which products to buy to avoid animal testing? A few simple rules.
- If a product does not mention that it is not tested on animals on its label, that product is tested on animals.
- If a product has "Not tested on animals," "Fighting animal testing," "Against animal testing," or "Cruelty free" printed on the label, often accompanied by an image of a rabbit, that product is not tested on animals.
- Be suspicious of labels or companies that say their "final" or "finished" products aren't tested on animals. This means that the ingredients were.
- Also be suspicious of companies that say they "fully support alternative testing methods" or are "working to eliminate animal testing." This means that while they may have plans to one day not test on animals, they still currently test on animals.
How do products get certified as non-animal-testing?
There are a few regulatory organisations, such as Choose Cruelty Free, which are independent organisations that can certify companies as cruelty free. They audit companies to ensure that they do not use any ingredients or engage in any practices that harm animals. They readily provide online lists of cruelty free companies so that you can quickly and easily determine which brands do not test on animals. They also have smartphone apps and handy booklets that you can take with you while you're out shopping. I'll provide links for these at the end of the post.
So after all that, that is why I don't buy Pantene. Because I know that products that are good for us as human customers do not need to and should not be tested on animals. No soul - be it human or not - should undergo such a torturous life simply because a big company values cheap ingredients over animal welfare. I enjoy buying products that I know are not only safe for me, but are saving millions of rabbits, rats and mice from lives of pain.
Links:
Choose Cruelty Free (for a list of certified cruelty-free companies, including in app and booklet form)
http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/
Peta list of companies that DO test on animals:
http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdotest.pdf
Peta ist of companies that DON'T test on animals:
http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdonttest.pdf
Peta list of companies that DO test on animals:
http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdotest.pdf
Peta ist of companies that DON'T test on animals:
http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdonttest.pdf
More information about animal testing:
http://www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/images/campaigns/image-p.jpg
How consumers can be misled:
