The issue of animal testing for cosmetic development and the ensuring of cruelty free trials for makeup products is one that strikes a chord with many people. We will give a brief outline of some of the evidence to allow you the ability to make up your own mind and to feel confident that you are making the right purchase choices for you.
Through a great deal of recent human history, people have used various kinds of makeup and cosmetic techniques to enhance their appearance. During this time new and untested compounds, methods and regimes were developed, all in the name of enhancing a person’s beauty and attractiveness.
During the course of these developments however, new and dangerous chemicals were unwittingly used by people who were then subject to serious health problems and disfigurements. Because of this, in the 1940’s, testing on animals was instituted. This naturally assisted in making cosmetics safer for human use but over time, as people became aware of this a growing percentage of the population began to have concerns over the wellbeing of the animals being used for this type of testing. This sparked an increase in movements to ensure the cruelty free treatment of animals.
There are countries where animal testing for makeup and various cosmetic products is still legal and whether or not companies engage in the act of animal testing for such purposes or whether such testing is done in an ethical way is beyond the reach of true evidential knowledge that is to be found in this article. However, if you are one of those who is opposed to the use of animal testing then it may brighten your day to know that there is a large part of the western world has made it illegal.
Due in perhaps large part to public demand, in 2013 laws were passed making it illegal to test cosmetics or their ingredients on animals in the UK and all members of the European Union… The question that may spring to mind is “If they don’t test on animals, how do I know which products are safe?”.
Thankfully there are alternatives to animal testing. Many of the ingredients found in cosmetics are already well understood and their level of safety has been firmly established. It is possible to use these existing ingredients and compounds to allow for safe products to be used without the need to test on animals. There are also a number of techniques that allow for a range of testing to be done that do not require the use of animals. At the time of writing this article there are approximately 50 established methods for doing this, with more being developed.
The benefits of moving away from animal testing are of course the wellbeing of the animals and the removal of any guilt that we as consumers may feel when we buy the products we love. As well as this, it is often the case that moving away from animal testing is actually more cost effective for companies and therefore making them more likely to move in this direction. These positive motivating factors, combined with the desire of many consumers to move away from animal testing create a pathway for a more ethical development and production of cosmetic products in the now and the future.
There are cosmetic brands that have the backing of organisations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) because they meet the criteria that organisations like PETA set out as being necessary to qualify as cruelty free in their eyes. So by all means check them out for further info.
