Testing animals for cosmetics is a very controversial and emotional issue.
When you think of rabbits, what do you think of? Do you remember your Mommy or Daddy reading Peter Cottontail to you? Do visions of Peter,hopping down the bunny trail, pop into your mind? Or do you think of the Easter Bunny?
Maybe you already know some of the horrors of animal testing. If you do, you may already know about the Draize Test.
Let Me Explain Further:
The Draize Test was developed in 1944 by toxicologists John H. Draize and Jacob M. Spines for the Food and Drug Administration. There are two versions of the Draize Test. One tests for eye irritation and the other tests for skin irritation.
The American National Anti-Vivisection Society sites how solutions of the product in question are applied directly to the animals' eyes for the eye irritation. Their eyelids are clipped open and they are placed in restraining stocks during the testing period which can last for several days. This prevents the animals' natural response to rid the eye of the irritant by blinking and tearing as well as rubbing and cleaning the area.
How many products can you think of that would not irritate your eyes if you were tied down with your eyes pried open?
The skin sensitivity test is done by applying the product to skin that has been shaved, abraded, and covered with plastic. Abrasion of the skin is usually achieved by using sticky tape to remove the first several layers of skin.
Now I ask you, would you intentionally irritate your skin before applying a product to it? That situation should be left to medical testing, which is another topic entirely.
After the testing the lucky animals have sustained such severe damage that they are of no further use to their torturers.
They are then killed.
I have personally witnessed such killing. One cannot use the word euthanasia to describe it. Of course what I witnessed was in the name of medical testing. Several rabbits were put together into a large, black garbage bag. A poisonous gas was then introduced via a tube attached to a tank. The panicked jumping slowed down, but some did not die fast enough to escape this last act of deplorable cruelty. Some of the staff took bats and hit the ones still moving until they stopped while the others cheered them on and laughed. Then they removed the bodies and marveled at how smashed up some of them were!
Oh yes, back to the unlucky ones. They are cleaned and treated so they heal enough to go through it all again!
Bunnies are not the only animals used for testing. Dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. suffer too.
Now, there is a good part to this article.
• You can do something about this!
• Never feel that you are not doing enough.
• Every little bit that each person does HELPS.
• The Draize Test is already regulated as to when it can be used.
• With your help maybe it will be eliminated altogether.
• You can change a little at a time.
It would be very expensive to take all your cosmetics you currently have, throw them away and buy new replacements. It would also not help. The sale was already made.
1. First you should read the labels of all the products you currently use. You may have some cruelty free products already. Look for a picture of a leaping bunny, the words "not tested on animals" or "cruelty free". If you see one or more of these indicators, use it, enjoy it and buy it again if you like it.
2. If some or all of your products don't show they are not tested on animals, concentrate on the products that are almost finished. Start looking for possible replacements the next time you go shopping. Thanks to new consumer buying patterns items that are not tested on animals are becoming more readily available. Products can be found in Health Food Stores, Nutrition Stores, Discount Stores, Grocery Stores, Drug Stores and believe it or not even some Dollar Stores.
3. Read those labels!
4. If you really like a product you use and it doesn't indicate that it is not tested on animals, call the number on the package. Ask if they company tests on animals. If they do, ask why? If you have a cell phone call right from the store. Let them know you are putting the product back on the shelf and choosing another. Be polite but firm. You are the customer and without you they have no business!
5. If you like a more personalized way of shopping for cosmetics, there are several companies that have websites with representatives near you or online that do not test on animals.
I hope you have found this article helpful, educational and that it has empowered you to become a more demanding consumer.
Search the web, join forums follow people and companies on Facebook.
Learn what companies do not test on animals and buy accordingly.
Remember:
• Testing on animals for cosmetics is not necessary.
• "Rome wasn't built in a day" - John Heywood.
Karen Karo AHT, RN - is a retired NY City Animal Health Tech whom currently lives in Bethlehem, PA and works as a Registered Nurse. I'm an Avon Independent Sales Rep (Cruelty Free of Course). An Animal and Patient Advocate
The Web can be Overwhelming. ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU.
To Get More AS IT HAPPENS Info About All Kinds of Cruelty Free Products, Updates About Progress Against Animal Testing as Well as a Link to My Own Private Avon Website Packed With Great Value, Follow Me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-that-doesnt-harm-animals-with-Karen-Karo/104948146277296
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