An argument people have who are for animal testing in the cosmetics industry is that it helps humans survive and avoid suffering from poorly tested cosmetics. But if people are not to be subjected to these testing and experimentation methods, why are animals? Animal experimentation has been around since the early 3rd century BCE. Back then doctors would cut open and examine the insides of animals before then doing the same to humans (beauty sparkle). The animals frequently used are rodents, dogs, cats, monkeys, even fish and sheep (Beck). The bottom line is animal experimentation and testing in the cosmetic industry for human benefits should be banned everywhere in the U.S, and eventually the world due to the harsh and cruel nature of the testing methods, the stressful environments the animals are kept in during the research, and the fact that the results obtained from animals can be radically different from results obtained from humans. Animal experimentation should be banned because of the extremely stressful living conditions the animals can be forced to stay in during the research project. Granted many facilities do have well controlled environments in regard to humidity, temperatures, lighting, etc. the facilities do not take into account the stressors that surround their test subjects. They did not consider that many noises are stressors to animals such as: slamming doors, yelling, and the machinery that can be kept in there. Rodents account for about 90% of vertebrate animals used in testing and they are particularly sensitive to noises (Baldwin). This sensitivity does not subside or lessen over time and it can stress them out so badly it can alter their behavior which in turn can skew the results from the test. Research... ... middle of paper ... ...ps and bounds in regard to medical advancements, but it is not needed in the field of cosmetics. With all the alternatives available to testing on animals and with all the cruelty the animals face, it is time that the United States made animal testing and animal experimentation in the cosmetics industry illegal. Works Cited "Animal Aid." : Killing Animals and Humans. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Baldwin, Ann. "The Stressful Life of Laboratory Animals." Project Syndicate RSS. N.p., 25 Oct. 2007. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. Beck, Nancy. "FAQs About Animal Testing." Do Something. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. "Fact Sheet: Cosmetic Testing : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. N.p., 30 May 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Horne, Viola. "Cruelty Free Cosmetics: History of Animal Testing & Makeup | Beauty Sparkle." Beauty Sparkle. N.p., 01 May 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
In modern society, animal experimentation has triggered a controversy; consequently, vast amount of protests have been initiated by the animal rights community. Although these organizations have successfully broadcasted their concerns toward animal experimentation, its application continues to survive. Sally Driscoll and Laura Finley inform that there remain fifty million to one-hundred million animals that experience testing or experimentation throughout the world on a yearly basis. But despite opposition, animal experimentation, the use of experiments on animals in order to observe the effects an unknown substance has on living creatures, serves multiple purposes. Those particular purposes are: research of the living body, the testing of
Animals should not be used as test subjects for any research. The innocent and helpless animals’ rights are being violated when they are involved during animal experimentation. These unfortunate animals do not have a choice whether or not they want to be involved in testing. They are not intended for people to experiment on for their own selfish reasons. It is not right to take advantage of the animals because they are helpless and cannot protect themselves. Animals and humans have similarities; they both behave, feel, think, and experience pain. Therefore, animals should be treated with the same respect as humans. The pain and suffering an animal is forced to endure is not worth any new product. It is cruel and inhumane to take advantage of an innocent animal. These tests that use animals to ensure the safety of products are extremely common without people even knowing about it. It is not fair to these animals to abuse their beauty. They are helpless and cannot control what is happening to them. Animal experimentation should be stopped because it violates the rights of animals and harms or even kills the animals.
Animal testing has long played a part in the science of testing, and it still plays a very important role in the medical world. Testing on animals in order to create a cure for AIDS is one thing, but testing on animals for human vanity is another. Animal testing is used to test the safety of a product. It has kept some very unsafe substances out of the cosmetic world. However, in this day in age, animal testing is not the only way to test the safety of a product. Animal testing in cosmetics has decreased over the years. However, it is still used by many companies in America. Animal testing is not only cruel, but it is also unnecessary in today’s advanced scientific world.
Sadly according to the Humane Society International (HSI) article About Animal Testing “in the United states alone around 26 million animals are tested each year for medical and commercial research” (HSI) even though animal testing is not required to ensure that the cosmetic being sold are safe. From those 26 million animals being tested most are not protected by the federal Animal Welfare Act. The animal welfare act does not include birds, rats and mice bred for research, and it doesn’t include cold-blooded animals. Animals testing should be banned because the animals tested suffer immensely, also animal tested is unethical, and because there are many alternatives.
Knight, Andrew. "The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments." New Internationalist All Posts RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 March 2014.
The testing of animals is rising from pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies because the companies are spending billions of dollars on animals testing in order to make products safer to humans. Test animals are also treated poorly and, because of how they are treated, the animals begin to act differently. The substances cosmetics companies inject into animals are very harmful and torturous to animals, so most animals end up dying or being severely handicapped from then on. Most of the findings and conclusions from animal experimentation do not end up working the same way with humans. Enormous amounts of money are spent on animal testing each year when there are better ways to put the investments for better benefit for our country. Advancements in technology should be used to speed up and improve the process of developing cures for humans instead of continuing to torture innocent creatures. Although animal testing is still being used, the European Union has banned it completely. There are many alternative ways that are in the process of being made but ultimately we need an alternative method that bans animal testing completely.
“If you want to test cosmetics, why do it on some poor animal who hasn't done anything? They should use prisoners who have been convicted of murder or rape instead. So, rather than seeing if perfume irritates a bunny rabbit's eyes, they should throw it in Charles Manson's eyes and ask him if it hurts.” -Ellen DeGeneres. Although I probably should be agreeing with Ellen, I feel that animal testing is a good thing. Yes, that may make me sound cruel, but animal testing can bring many benefits to a lot of people. I’m not trying to say that animal testing isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I’m saying that it’s an important thing that we have to do in society to keep us healthy. “About 20 million animals are experimented on and killed annually, three-fourths for medical purposes and the rest to test various products.” -Santa Clara University, Claire Andre and Manuel Vasquez. Obviously, that’s a lot of animals that are being tested on. Yes, I do feel that maybe scientists are going overboard and testing on a few too many animals. But, I still feel that animal testing is a strong factor in human health.
McKay, Michele. "The Cruelty of Lab Animal Testing." Down to Earth. N.p., 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Throughout history, beginning as early as 500 BC, animals have been used to test products that will later be utilized by humans (“Animal Testing” 4), what isn’t publicly discussed is the way it will leave the animals after the process is done. Many innocent rabbits, monkeys, mice, and even popular pets such as dogs are harmed during the testing application of cosmetics, medicine, perfumes, and many other consumer products (Donaldson 2). Nevertheless, there are many people whom support the scandal because "it is a legal requirement to carry out animal testing to ensure they are safe and effective” for human benefit (Drayson). The overall question here is should it even be an authorized form of experimentation in the United States, or anywhere else? The fact of the matter is that there are alternatives to remove animals out of the equation for good (“Alternatives” 1). They are cheaper, and less invasive than the maltreatment of the 26 million innocent animals that are subjected to the heartlessness of testing each year (“Animal Testing” 4). All in all, due to the harsh effects of animal testing, it should be treated as animal cruelty in today’s society.
In conclusion, animal testing is a subject that will continue to be argued about for years to come. There are two very distinct sides to the debate, it is either acceptable or it isn’t. Animal testing is a very beneficial process when used to discover cures in the medical field but should not be used just to simply test a new brand of cosmetics of household products. There have been several advancements made so far and more cures will be discovered as time goes on and more products are tested. The medical field has advanced so much due to the discoveries made from testing out new vaccines and medicines. They don’t have a cure for cancer today, but who knows, in ten years from now there might be a way to save loved one’s lives because of research and procedures that are being performed today.
Animal testing should be banned for unnecessary tests because why would the government want to put human through the same thing that the animals go through. Animals should not be guinea pigs to the horrible tests that the scientists run on them. The animals should be able to be free and not have to be strapped down and forced-fed. Animals feel the pain just as well as a human would, but a human can walk away from the pain and say “no”. Sometimes it is better to run tests on animals to find a cure for cancer, HIV, and other diseases but the government and the scientists should find a different way to do this with out killing so many animals.
Each year, thousands of animals are brutally tortured in laboratories, in the name of cosmetic research. A movement to ban animal testing for cosmetic purposes has been gaining popularity, with many companies hopping on the bandwagon against this research. New alternatives have been developed to eliminate the necessity to test on animals. This is only a small beginning of what is necessary to end these immoral acts. Animal testing in cosmetics is useless and cruel, and can be accomplished by other methods of research to end the suffering of animals.
...rking has also empowered the traditional activists, like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). PETA is supporting cruelty free companies through their Beauty Without Bunnies Program. When you see their bunny logo, you know the product you are considering is cruelty-free. And, anyone with access to the internet can easily check their website at http://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/companiesdonttest.pdf to find out if a cosmetic company they are interested in is complying with alternative testing or traditional animal testing. Companies currently producing cruelty-free cosmetics include: Lush Cosmetics, Affordable Mineral Makeup, 2nd love cosmetics, Bare Essentials, etc. And new ones keep on popping up. So, the solution is at hand with alternative testing and insisting that companies continue to develop testing methodologies that don’t involve live animals.
Animal testing has become extremely costly. Animal testing results are not quick, especially for cosmetics. When testing a product it needs to be continually applied to detect if it’s going to irritate the skin or eyes. This can take days or weeks. During this time you have to keep the animals alive long enough to see the result. Therefore also having to supply food and water costing even more $$$. For example the eye irritant test involving rabbits to see how a product or chemical will react on human eyes cost around 1,800$ while the alternative in vitro method only cost 1,400$. Not only is the alternative more accurate but its much more cost effective and over time those 400$ will add up. Another common example is the skin sensation test, which is where a product is placed on a shaved animals skin to see how it reacts. The cost for the animal test is 6,000$ and the alternative is only 3,000$. That is a lot of money that could be used to make the product better or for the company to keep.
Cosmetic animal testing has been a controversial topic for decades but has recently gained more attention from the media due to oppositional organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Those in favor of animal experimentation make the argument that they are taking animals’ lives to save humans’, but is it really necessary to subject animals to torturous conditions or painful experiments in the name of science? Animal experimentation needs to be abolished because it is unethical and selfish to destroy an animal 's life.