Brittaney Becks

April 12, 2016

English 101-MMD
Mrs. Artis
Animal Experimentation in the Cosmetic Industry
Many households in the United States have a pet of some sort. This pet may be a dog, a
cat, a hamster, or even as rare as a monkey. What many Americans do not realize, is that the
same types of animals that they love are being abused for the sake of beauty. Animals should not
have to suffer because a person wants to have one less breakout. According to People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), there are many brands being used in everyday living that
still openly test on our furry friends. Imagine walking in to a room filled with cages of dogs that
are ill and covered in uncomfortable rashes due to testing a new face wash that is being
purchased around the world. Visualize how depressing it is to see a pet become ill, then picture
all the animals just like that pet that are locked up with illness being forced upon them. Animals
should not be forced to endure a life of pain because of cosmetic purposes.
Animal research is conducted in labs to test all kinds of cosmetics. The FDA considers
anything that is used for personal hygiene or makeup as a cosmetic as long as it does not have a
type of drug in it. When making a new product it needs to be proven to not cause an allergic
reaction to the person using it. In order to find out whether or not it will cause a reaction
scientists will use the formula on the animal. The researchers doing these tests are looking for
"chemical sensitizers." These would be "chemicals that are frequently reported to induce

chemical sensitization including metal ions, cinnamic aldehyde geraniol and eugenol." The
results of some of these chemicals that are applied have been hair loss, chemicals burn, allergic
reaction, blindness and sometimes worse. The United States Department of Agriculture supports
and maintains the Animal Welfare Act, but even with that intact it isn't helping these animals
quality of life by much. "Suffering should be minimized but the stance is that it should not be
minimized at the expense of the research goals and aims." This is basically saying that as long as
the animals have a decent place to live, are fed and properly exercised then it is okay to torture
them in the name of beauty or science. An animal should not have to live its life in pain in order
for humans to look better. Scientists wouldn't put another human through torture his/her whole
life because of a shampoo or foundation. That would be considered inhumane.
It is typically normal for a person to keep a pet in a cage. Most of the time the animal is
only in there for a short period of time while the owner is away. Animals that spend their lives in
a lab spend most of their time either being experimented on or in their cages. According to an
article by Ann Baldwin, the outside noise around the animals environment and the "lack of
enrichment" in their cages can be a huge stressor. When it comes to animals like mice, the noises
around them are received as very loud. "Rodents, in particular, are sensitive to these noises, and
studies show that this sensitivity does not diminish with time, as is commonly assumed. These
noises can alter rodents behavior and even adversely affect their health. Yet, surprisingly, many
scientists are unaware that loud noises in their animal facilities can affect research outcomes and
compromise their data," which is discussed in the same article mentioned before. This is
basically saying that the scientists have not even bothered to educate themselves on the animals
that they are testing on.

At times humans tend to forget that animals feels things emotionally and physically as
well. It is proven that animals have different levels of intelligence too. That is how someone can
teach their dog to roll over, a mouse to run through a maze or an elephant to paint. As anyone
knows; a cat will yell if you pull its tail and a dog will yelp if you step on its foot. Animals are
living creatures just like humans, therefore they have the right to have a good life too. It states in
the Animal Welfare Act that there are "animals bred for" research purposes. Those creatures did
not even have a chance to live a normal life before being purchased, shoved in a cage and then
tortured. They did not even have an opportunity to live a happy life before being subjected to
rashes, hair loss and worse. All living creatures have to right to live a happy life. It is seen on the
news often that people are being prosecuted for abusing their pets and/or other animals. If it is
not considered humane to torture that group of animals, than it should not be okay for companies
to torture other animals in a lab. Abusing an animal on any level is a violation of its rights as a
living creature.
In this era there are many ways to get around using animal testing. There are several
chemicals that have already been proven to be safe to use in cosmetic products. Seeing that most
companies are looking for "the next big thing," they are attempting to create new products using
things that have not been tested or tested with other components before. The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services released an article in 2015 discussing the movement of making
"alternatives to animal testing." "Casey and Brian Berridge, D.V.M., Ph.D., of GlaxoSmithKline,
proposed the creation of a national roadmap to replace, reduce, or refine (3Rs) animal use and
transform toxicity testing." This is just one of many plans out there to save animals from being
harmed for the name of beauty. "Casey also briefed the committee on many developments over
the past year within NICEATM, including the creation of a new database that focuses on

toxicants that produce subtle developmental effects." There are so many ways that the human
race can create cosmetic products without having to use animals to try the products first. "Casey
explained that the need for a national roadmap and strategy for the 3Rs is driven by public
health, economics, and ethics, with each element contributing to reducing and eventually
elimination animal testing." If the chemical has been proven safe, than use it. If it does not make
the list, than avoid it until there is another option available to prove it does not cause rashes like
contact dermatitis. With so many resources available about what is and is not safe to use, getting
around using animals as test subjects should be relatively easy.
Though many people dedicate a large portion of their lives trying to eliminate the use of
animals for testing purposes, it is still are large issue in the world. As a race, we could not
imagine a world in which our own kind would suffer for the sake of another humans
beautification process. If humans refuse to test on humans, than it shouldn't be seen as "okay" to
use other living creatures as test subjects. We need to stand up and eliminate the testing of these
products on animals. A new eyeliner from MAC is not worth a mouse becoming blind, or a dog
losing its hair because Dove wanted to try a new chemical in its body wash. By educating
ourselves on the brand names that are still using these processes then we can be aware of what
products to avoid when visiting our local cosmetic stores and grocery stores. By refusing to
purchase products from these companies they will be forced to look at other means to develop
their products. If forcing these brands to eliminate their testing procedure than the lives of
thousands of animals can be saved. All living creatures have the right to a good life, the people of
the world need to stand up and ban the use of animals for experimentation purposes.