By: Katherine Snyder
Picture credits: katvondbeauty.com
As we all know, animal testing in the cosmetic industry has been around for years. It is a sad reality that we have to face as consumers, but as of recently, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with brands becoming cruelty-free.
In 2017, over 100 cosmetic brands in the United States have gone cruelty-free. The main reason companies have switched over from animal testing is that using alternatives is a cheaper, faster and more efficient way to test certain chemicals and other things that they wish to put into their products that don’t harm humans.
Several alternatives have been developed by scientists for cosmetic company labs to use. Alternatives including cell cultures, testing on donated human tissue, computer models and volunteer studies. With developments over the years proving that there are over 7,000 ingredients to be put into cosmetics that are safe for human skin, animal testing is no longer a requirement.
Several world governments are banning animal testing entirely, according to crueltyfreekitty.com, “The European Union, Isreal, India, Norway, Switzerland, South Korea, and New Zealand have all banned animal testing. So many governments across the world banning this practice should tell us how harmful and unethical it really is.”
Top reasons as to why brands are switching to cruelty-free alternative testing are that all animals should have a right to not experience the suffering they do in testing labs. Not only do rodents get tested on, but even cats and dogs. The average tests animals go through in labs are usually chemicals being dropped into their eyes or onto their skin, where they’re likely to suffer burns and even more damage to their internal organs. Most animals die in the lab or days after they are tested on.
Even though brands still test on animals, we can hope as consumers that all of them switch over to being cruelty-free in the future.
Niagara Wire 