In recent years, the awareness of protecting animal rights has increased, and many people will pay attention to different issues that are harmful to animals, and the necessity of animal testing has become even more controversial. Animal testing has been used since the 1950s. Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice are often used as subjects for cosmetic experiments, and the testing process is also very cruel.
What is Test on Animals?
It refers to the use of animals other than humans to conduct scientific experiments to verify the impact of individual factors on the physiology or behavior of the test on animals and to compare them with the state of the same kind of organisms in the natural environment.
Animals used for animal experiments are called "laboratory animals". Its purpose is for the study of physiology, pathology, or psychology.
Experimental research on animals is routinely performed at universities, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, defense agencies, and commercial facilities that provide test animal services to a variety of industries. Animal testing is focused on a continuum of pure research, focusing on developing a basic knowledge of an organism, applied research, and possibly answering questions of great practical importance, such as finding cures for disease. Specific examples of applications of this research include testing treatments for diseases, breeding, defense research and toxicology, and even cosmetic testing. In education, experimenting with animals is sometimes part of biology or psychology classes. These practices are regulated to varying degrees in different countries.
What does test on animals actually do?
The most common one for cosmetics and skin care products is the Draize Test, an acute toxicity test designed by US FDA toxicologist John H. Draize in 1944.
During the process, the experimenter will directly apply the test product on the animal's eyes or the shaved skin and observe for about 14 days continuously to see if there will be redness, swelling, secretions, and ulcers in the place. Because rabbits don't secrete tears, their eyes are often used for testing and experimentation, which is why rabbit patterns have become a common symbol of cruelty-free certification.
In fact, as early as 2013, the European Union banned the sale of any cosmetics that have been tested on animals or contain ingredients that have been tested on animals in the EU. Currently, India, Israel, Australia, and Taiwan also have relevant regulations.
What harm does test on animals to animals?
According to the data released by the Hong Kong government, there were 7,090 applications for animal experiments in Hong Kong alone in 2017, and a total of 118,066 mice were used for experiments within one year, and there is an upward trend in recent years.
Even though the mortality rate of experimental animals has dropped from 77% in 1999 to only 53% in recent years, animals that have not been seriously injured will be reused and continue to be used in other experiments.
In addition, in order to test the reaction and side effects of the product, the animals will not have anesthesia or analgesia during the experiment, but will only experience itching or pain. Small animals need to endure the fear of the unknown repeatedly, coupled with the small living environment, and their short life is full of cruel torture.
Are products that are not test on animals safe?
There are many differences between the bodies of animals and humans, including toxic reactions and metabolic rates. For example, drugs that successfully cured cancer in mice were not effective in humans. Therefore, there are many differences in reactions to product allergies and irritations.
Even Products have been tested on animals and may not be 100% safe.
The spokesperson of the American Pharmaceutical Sciences Annual Conference once said: "The prediction value of the experimental animal model is less than 50%, which is lower than the effective information provided by flipping a coin!"Experimenting with animals may have been the best method in the 1940s, but with the progress of the times, many methods have achieved zero cruelty.
Taking the European Union as an example, a database of safe cosmetic raw materials has been established in the local area, and the raw materials that have passed the test in the past are included so that repeated experiments can be avoided. In addition, the technology of 3D skin models and AI computer models is also becoming more and more mature, which may become a better alternative in the future.
How to know which products do not test on animals?
Most of the logos will be designed with rabbits, but some brands will design similar Logos by themselves, trying to confuse the real ones. The following four marks are currently commonly used and recognized marks in the world:
#1 Leaping Bunny Certification
Certification Unit: Cosmetics Consumer Information Coalition (CCIC)
Started in 1996, it is currently the most common animal-free label in the European Union, and the certification needs to be re-examined every year.
There is no charge for applying for certification, but there will be an additional charge if the logo is required for product marketing.
#2 Beauty without Bunnies Program
Certification unit: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
There is a fee to join the Cruelty Free movement and to use this mark LOGO on products.
#3 Not Tested on Animals Rabbit
Certification unit: Australia "Choose Cruelty Free" has no annual audit, and there is no charge for applying for certification, but if the product needs to use the logo, there will be an additional charge.
Brands which put an end of test on animals in Carsha
#1 HOURGLASS
HOURGLASS, an American professional makeup brand, advertises quality, does not conduct animal testing at all, and cares for the ecology of animals. No animal ingredients are used, so sensitive skin can use it with peace of mind.
#2 AESOP
AESOP from Australia advocates a balanced life of body and mind and integrates a balanced life of the body and mind with skin care. AESOP is committed to selecting the best herbal ingredients and non-plant raw materials such as antioxidants on the basis of scientifically verified efficacy; it insists on using a completely independent method for product development and does not conduct animal testing.
#3 DRUNK ELEPHANT
Drunk Elephant is the first choice of lip balm for every beauty lover. This is because all of their products do not add the so-called "suspicious six ingredients" - essential oils, drying alcohol, silicon, chemical sunscreens, fragrances/ Dyes and surfactants make it suitable for all skin types.
Its product range is concise, yet manufactured with the utmost care.