Make up Testing On Animals
by: Lauren Casares
Introduction
Unfortunately, there’s no ban on testing cosmetics or household products on animals in the U.S., so companies that make and sell their products here can choose to conduct tests on animals. All though in a huge victory for animals the European Union, Israel, and India have banned the sale of any cosmetics or cosmetics ingredients that have been tested on animals.
What are the types of testing?
- Skin and eye irritation tests where chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of restrained rabbits without any pain relief
- repeated force-feeding studies lasting weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards such as cancer or birth defects; and
- widely condemned "lethal dose" tests, in which animals are forced to swallow large amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death.
Why do some companies still test cosmetics on animals if it's not required?
Some companies choose to develop and/or use new, untested ingredients in their cosmetic products and to conduct new animal tests to assess the safety of these new ingredients. Plus many people think that it is okay to test on animals because they're thinking there is no harm actually being done to the animal, which is so not true.
what kind of animals are used in testing?
Three main animals that are used in animal testing are mainly Rats, guinea pigs,and bunny rabbits. Pain relief is rarely provided and the animals used are always killed at the end of each test.