It’s been over two years since I started my cruelty-free journey and this blog. I have learned a lot about what cruelty-free means and I have been able to teach my friends, family, and readers about animal testing and why it needs to end. I feel like everyone is aware of animal testing but it’s when we turn our awareness into caring and become advocates in the fight against animal testing. Here’s why you should care about purchasing cruelty-free cosmetics.
What got me interesting in learning about animal testing is a project I was assigned my freshman year in college. For my computer graphic design class, we had to pick a social topic and a word to describe both sides of the “argument” then create two posters that showed both sides. I did some research and came along animal testing, I used this site as a source for my project and was astonished that they still tested on animals even though there are alternate testing methods that leave animals out of the picture. A lot of companies claim that they test humanely, hence why I chose the word humane for both of my posters. There’s absolutely nothing humane about forcing chemicals onto (or even into) animals. Animals do not deserve to sit in cages all day and be tortured. Period.
It’s unnecessary.
Like I stated above, there are alternative testing methods that don’t harm animals. Many argue that there is no other way, but there is! In history, numerous things have been tested on animals and have been deemed safe or unsafe, therefore we don’t need to keep testing said ingredients on animals if they have already come to a conclusion about them. (A lot of safe ingredients are STILL being used to test on animals, which is unnecessary since they’ve already passed previous tests, correct?) We have come so far with technology that we have invented new ways to test products or ingredients – which is also cheaper than testing on animals! P.s. Animals don’t wear cosmetics, so why do we inject stuff into their eyes? Doesn’t make any sense.
It’s more than just bunnies and mice – it’s other animals too.
Yup, you heard that right. Did you know that beagles are the most commonly used dog breed for animal testing? And do you want to know why they use beagles? It’s because they’re naturally trusting of humans and they’re docile – so basically, they use that to their advantage in the lab and abuse those poor babies that just want to be loved. Totally uncalled for. Not to mention, most of the tests done on animals go wrong, so then those poor animals just get euthanized with no chance at a normal life.
It’s not accurate.
If you haven’t noticed, you aren’t a mouse, or a guinea pig, or a fish…so why do laboratories test on these animals when we really aren’t like them? “92% of experimental drugs that are safe and effective in animals fail in human clinical trials because they are too dangerous or don’t work” (Source). We aren’t wired the same as the animals that they test on – just like some humans have more sensitive skin than others. We have completely different body make ups, hence why we shouldn’t be testing on animals since these products/chemicals/drugs/ingredients could react totally different in a human beings body. THERE ARE OTHER TESTING METHODS OUT THERE, yo, laboratories get with the program! Stop testing on animals.
Now, as an ending note I would like to clarify a few things in case the comments get heated (I don’t think they will but you never know). 1.) Animal testing has been done for years and years and years. We are now in 2017, we have a list of ingredients that are safe and we don’t need to continue to test on animals if we know what ingredients are safe,
1.) Animal testing has been done for years and years and years. We are now in 2017, we have a list of ingredients that are safe and we don’t need to continue to test on animals if we know what ingredients are safe, kapeesh?
2.) Animal testing has contributed to life-saving procedures as well as medicine. Now, this is where it gets a little weary and confusing. There are some things in life that we won’t be able to get that haven’t been tested on animals – like medicine. BUT, there is a HUGE difference between testing medicine and testing VANITY products on animals. Just because you know that there are some things that have been tested on animals that you need, doesn’t mean you should just give up on buying cruelty-free products. Your dollar is your vote and you buying from L’Oreal, MAC, etc isn’t going to fix the problem – you’re contributing to it. MAC claims that they are in the fight against animal testing and only test where required by law and that’s a load of crap. They still sell in China even though they KNOW that China requires them to test their cosmetics by law, so they are not in the fight to stop animal testing. (This is just MY opinion, it’s not a “cruelty-free” law y’know).
3.) Start somewhere. Whether it’s purchasing a cruelty-free foundation or mascara, that’s a start. You don’t have to replace every single makeup product you own today just because I’ve been talking about animal testing, but when you go to purchase new items – take a second, think about it, and support cruelty-free brands (there are plenty out there)!
BUY FROM CRUELTY-FREE BRANDS, PLEASE.
Not sure where to start? Check out my cruelty-free on a budget posts, my posts featuring cruelty-free products, and check out Logical Harmony for a HUGE list of cruelty-free brands!
I hope you enjoyed the post. Sorry if it seemed all over the place, I saw another blog post that kind of ticked me off so I decided to write about my side and why I am a cruelty-free beauty blogger.
Thanks so much for reading, as always <3
Xoxo, Rae
Disclaimer: No affiliate links. All opinions are my own and sources are linked accordingly. Again, these are just my opinions – they are not right or wrong but this something I feel passionately about and I feel like more people need to be aware of.
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