The issue of animal testing for cosmetic development and ensuring cruelty-free testing for makeup products is an issue that strikes a chord with many people. We will briefly review some of the evidence to allow you to form your own opinion and be sure that you are making the right buying choices for you.
Throughout much of recent human history, people have used various types of makeup and cosmetic techniques to enhance their appearance. During this time, new and untested compounds, methods and diets have been developed, all in the name of enhancing a person’s beauty and attractiveness.
During these developments, however, dangerous new chemicals were unknowingly used by people who were then prone to serious health problems and disfigurements. For this reason, in the 1940s animal testing was instituted. This naturally helped to make cosmetics safer for human use, but over time, as people became aware of this, an increasing percentage of the population began to worry about animal welfare. used for this type of test. This triggered an increase in movements to ensure the humane treatment of animals.
There are countries where animal testing for makeup and various cosmetics is still legal and whether or not companies engage in the act of animal testing for such purposes or whether such testing is done ethically is beyond the reach of real probative knowledge which is to be found in this article. However, if you are one of those who oppose the use of animal testing, it may brighten your day to know that much of the western world has made it illegal.
Perhaps largely due to public demand, in 2013 laws were passed banning the testing of cosmetics or their ingredients on animals in the UK and all members of the European Union… The question that may come to mind is “If they don’t test on animals, how do I know which products are safe?”.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to animal testing. Many ingredients in cosmetics are already well known and their level of safety has been firmly established. It is possible to use these existing ingredients and compounds to enable the use of safe products without the need for testing on animals. There are also a number of techniques that allow a range of tests to be performed that do not require the use of animals. As of this writing, there are about 50 established methods for doing this, and more are in development.
The benefits of moving away from animal testing are of course animal welfare and the removal of any guilt we as consumers may feel when buying the products we love. On top of that, it often happens that moving away from animal testing is actually more profitable for companies and therefore makes them more likely to move in that direction. These positive motivators, combined with many consumers’ desire to move away from animal testing, are paving the way for more ethical development and production of cosmetics today and tomorrow.
There are cosmetic brands that have the backing of organizations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) because they meet the criteria that organizations like PETA have set as necessary to qualify as cruelty-free in their eyes. So, by all means, check them out for more info.
