Animal Testing: A Dirty Corporate Secret

Outsourced Animal Abuse

When you purchase makeup, skin cream, shampoo, air fresheners or many other common items, you may be getting a lot more than what you bargained for. Did you know that the majority of these products are tested on animals? What’s even worse, the US corporations responsible for this animal testing hire China to do it for them!

Why Test on Animals?

Why would a company test their products on animals? For them, the answer is safety. They are responsible for providing a safe product for Americans to use. They are also responsible for defining all the ways, and in what doses, their product could be potentially harmful to us. They have to be able to describe what would happen if we ingested their product or it lingered on our skin. They even have to be able to say how much of their product it would take to kill someone.

To come up with this data, they use animals. Many, many animals. In fact, according to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), “Each year, more than 100 million animals—including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds—are killed in U.S. laboratories for biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing.”

American corporations repeat these tests at least yearly to prove that their product is maintaining the same quality. This protects them from lawsuits.

Types of Animal Testing

The types of tests done on animals are absolutely horrific. Rabbits are often used for ingesting products because a rabbit is one of the few animals that is unable to vomit. Animals like rats and monkeys are used for injecting different products under their skin to test for reactions.

All animals that are tested on are eventually killed. But PETA goes on to say that, “Before their deaths, some animals are forced to inhale toxic fumes, others are immobilized in restraint devices for hours, some have holes drilled into their skulls, and others have their skin burned off or their spinal cords crushed. In addition to the torment of the actual experiments, animals in laboratories are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them—they are confined to barren cages, socially isolated, and psychologically traumatized. The thinking, feeling animals who are used in experiments are treated like nothing more than disposable laboratory equipment.”

Companies that Test on Animals

Many people use make-up and skin conditioning products regularly. The following make-up companies animal test and out-source to China: Avon, Benefit, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Maybelline, Mary Kay, Origins, plus many more. In fact, unless you see “not tested on animals” clearly written on the label, all make-up and skin conditioning products are tested on animals!

It’s not just skin care. It’s also air-fresheners, shampoo, laundry detergent and more. Here are some other corporations that test on animals: Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Bayer, Pfizer and L’Oreal. This includes such popular products as Aspirin, Pantene shampoo and conditioner, Arm and Hammer, Tyde, Febreze and even Dolce & Gabbana.

The World is Against Animal Testing, Even Americans

An extensive poll was conducted that concluded 70% of people worldwide want all animal testing banned. It’s already banned in Europe. Over 80% of Americans want it banned. So why does it persist?

Animal testing is yet another example of American corporations being totally out of touch with the American people. They care more about their bottom line than morality. They focus on appeasing their board members, not their customers.

A Better Way to Test

I understand that corporations have to provide safe products and have clear definitions about the toxicity of their products. But there is a better way than killing 100 million animals. There is a new technology where human organs can be created in vitro. Virtually every organ can now be created including skin. These artificial organs can be tested on without any living creature being harmed. In my opinion, this technology should totally replace animal testing.

Or American corporations can follow the lead of Europe and rely on other tests and data to prove the safety of products. Either way, we must stop the barbaric torture and slaughter of animals. It doesn’t matter what’s your religious orientation, testing on animals is an absolute moral outrage.