Sandy asks…Can you please elaborate more about how no ethical companies would sell a product without testing on animals? How, then, can some companies label themselves as animal-testing-free? Wouldn’t these same animal-testing-free companies then be unethical or even illegal to misrepresent their position?
And the Left Brain chimes in…
Ah Sandy, you pose some excellent questions! Let’s see if we can adequately respond.
Animal Testing Cosmetics
First to clarify, we didn’t say no ethical company would sell a product without testing on animals. We said there are no ethical companies that can sell products that haven’t been tested!
The reason is because cosmetic companies are legally required through trade and consumer protection laws to prove their products are not toxic or dangerous. Specific rules vary from country to country, but in places like the U.S., Japan, and most of the EU, safety standards often require animal testing to prove a product is safe. As alternatives to animal testing like computer modeling, or cell cultures are developed, the laws are being changed, but this is a slow process. In most cases these alternatives are not accepted as adequate proof so there is no legally acceptable form of safety testing except on animals.
Animal Testing or Not?
Companies can say they haven’t tested their products on animals because they probably haven’t. Unscrupulous companies will contract out the work so they don’t actually test anything themselves. They use the data of the testing house & claim that they don’t test on animals. Those that really don’t test on animals can say so by using the following strategies.
Cosmetic Animal Testing Workarounds
1. They only use ingredients that have already been tested on animals. In the cosmetic business, if all the component ingredients are safe, you generally don’t have to test the mixtures. They rely on their suppliers to do the dirty work and then they can say they don’t test on animals.
2. They don’t use combinations of chemicals that haven’t been animal tested.
3. They do patch testing on human volunteers to make sure the formulas are safe.
But the bottom line is, the ingredients have been tested on animals even if the particular cosmetic haven’t. The companies that tout animal testing free positions exist off the backs of companies who’ve done all the testing before them.
Look at a company who is one of the most vocal advocates against animal testing, The Body Shop (at least they were until L’Oreal bought them out). Here is an ingredient list from one of their high quality shampoo formulas.
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Stearic Acid, Honey, Coconut Acid, Glycerin, Acrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copoymer, Bertholletia Excelsa (Brazil) Nut Oil, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Isothionate, Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Phenethyl Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Lanolin, Polyquaternium-10, Methylparaben, Aminomethyl Propanol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein, PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Polyquaternium-7, Propylparaben, Bertothelia Excelsa (Brazil) Nut Amino Acids, Wheat Amino Acids, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Titanium Dioxide
You can bet that nearly every one of these ingredients has at one time been tested on an animal. But it’s also probably true that THEY didn’t test THIS FORMULA on any animals so they aren’t breaking any advertising laws when they say their products aren’t tested on animals..
Ethical? Not any more or less than any other cosmetic company. Illegal? Not technically. Disingenuous? You decide that for yourself. But remember, this is the beauty business. You can’t believe everything you read on the bottle.
Beauty Brains bottom line
Finally, animal testing is not a thing that cosmetic companies want to do. It is expensive, morally contentious, and terrible for a company’s public image. The incidence of testing is certainly much less than in the past.
For more information, check out this entry from the Wikipedia.
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I just wanted to say that I was extremely excited to see my employer “The Body Shop” on this page. I just wanted to let everyone know, including the individual who wrote this article that the biggest controversy when Anita Roddick sold our company to L’Oreal is the fact that they do test on animals. However,they have continued to say that the Body Shop morals WILL NOT change. And trust me, if you did work for the company you would see how hard our shop is working to continue to be a great ‘role model’ company. We not only do not test on animals, but we are AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING. if a company that we get ingredients cannot prove that they do not use money towards animal testing, we look elsewhere, and even all company cars are becoming hybrid ( for the environmentalists out there!) I know this message is long, but I really wanted to put it out there that we are unfortunately owned by a company that tests on animals, The Body shop company in its entirety does not. L’Oreal I suppose just put up the highest bid, and just as one last note, all of the money that our founder Anita Roddick earned from selling her shop was given to charities. Every Last Cent!
I think there’s a difference between using ingredients that “at one time” were tested on animals and using those that continue to be tested on animals today.
Barbara, that is an excellent point. Much of the ingredients used today in cosmetics were tested so long ago that I wouldn’t think it counts.
Amanda Rae – love the Body Shop products & have been using them since the 90s.However, take a look at Google maps and check out the environment around the factory in Canada that makes batteries for hybrids.NASA uses the environment there for testing the Mars Rover. No way I’d purchase a hybrid after seeing that.
this website is bad because i cant use it 4 my report
this webiite needs real info because my report needs it and it cant be a blog so help befor i fale no suckish info please i despertly need help
You should be able to use this information from the FDA (Food & Drug Administration). It’s part of the US Government and they set some of the rules for cosmetics.
FDA Website
Good luck with your report. Let us know how it goes.
Left Brain
sign petition to make cosmetic companies indicate weather they sponsor animal reasearch in the making of their products. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/make-companies-that-test-on-animals-indicate-it-in-their-logos
You are referring to the landscape around Sudbury, Ontario. First, Inco (bought by Brazilian CVRD/Vale last year) is a nickel mining and refining company; they make the raw material for nickel-hydride batteries, but NOT the batteries themselves. Yes the landscape around Sudbury is bleak, due to smelting practices in the late 1800’s – build a pile of ore, pile logs on top, burn. But, the myth about moon training is that – a myth. They visited there for geological training because the Sudbury nickel basin is due to a meteor strike (eroded crater) from billions of years ago.
What kind of bs bottom line is that?! Companies don’ want to torture animals?! Are you kidding me?! These companies are evil~!
They are demented idiots! They know there are safe humane alternatives but these companies are heartless. These companies are makes millions some even billions murdering animals! Testing on animals is not only cruel but dangerous because they lead to wrong conclusions. They retard clinical investigation as well which is the only valid kind.
All companies that do this horrific abuse needs to be boycotted!
What are those alternatives?
are you stupid? what kind of company can sit there and test thier products on animals, how can you live knowing your hurting animals. You should be asahmeddddddddddddddddddd of your selves. You are a cold hearted person/people.
This was a waste of time. Of course EVERY ingredient in EVERY product has been tested sometime throughout history on animals. That’s undeniable – but companies that use those ingredients and do not condone animal testing ARE ethical companies because they do not test their lines of beauty products on animals. Jesus Christ.
Finally, animal testing is not a thing that cosmetic companies want to do. It is expensive, morally contentious, and terrible for a company’s public image. The incidence of testing is certainly much less than in the past.
Thats funny! if they dont want to do it then why are they and notice that it is stated that its bad for their image which proves that they don’t care at all.. they are just trying to keep their image in the good….BULLLSH*TT
@Caity – They do it because it is required by the government.
no need to test on animals anymore, no need found new product, we have satisfied with product they have created before