Cosmetics Animal Testing Essay

Vanessa Lajara

Mr. Kirchenburg

English 11R

March 26, 2018

Animal Testing on Cosmetics and its Effects For many years, cosmetics have been introduced to society as products used to enhance or alter the appearance of the body, specifically facial features. Cosmetics are generally mixtures of chemical compounds; some being developed from natural origins, and some being synthetics. It is known that some cosmetic companies test and experiment on animals to see if these products are eligible and safe for humans. Although it can be beneficial for cosmetic users, the testing of these products bring negative impacts upon society, specifically economically and in the environment. Animal testing has become a routine process in

These tests are conducted on a variety of animals, and are used to determine whether or not a product is safe for human usage. Usually, animal tests for cosmetics include the animals having chemicals forced down their throats, put into their eyes and onto their shaved skin in order to document their body’s reaction (Peta). These tests can cause severe pain and suffering including blindness, sore skin, swollen eyes, and internal bleeding. Pain relief or any type of recovery is not provided and at the end of these tests, and the animals are killed, normally by decapitation or neck-breaking (Humane Society). About 200,000 animals are tortured and eventually die every year due to cosmetic testing (Galgo Amigo). In 2016 United States government statistics put the number of laboratory animals used in research at 820,812, a 7% rise from 2015. Graphs show the breakdown of different species used. It is important to note that these statistics do not include rats, mice, birds or fish, as these animals are not covered by the Animal Welfare Act – though they are still protected under other regulations (US Statistics Speaking of

Activists have pushed to rid cosmetics companies of ani­mal testing. While there are several companies that do not use animals in their testing, there are even more companies that do and continue to push against reform. The practice of animal testing has not only been on cosmetics, but also for medicine and other industries. Relying on animal testing to protect and improve human health is not only unsafe, but also expensive. Animal research is a multi-billion dollar industry that has high stakes (NAVS). This is one of the major reasons why the use of animals not only continues, but also is defended. Investment in the handling of animals for labs is a high profit making enterprise for animal importers, breeders, dealers, cage and drug companies. The standard for testing a chemical to determine if it is toxic takes up to five years from planning to evaluation and review, at a cost of up to more than $4 million per substance