By my reasoning, evolution indicates all forms of life are different but equal. Different in makeup (pardon the pun), but equal. Because we all made it this far. Existence = success. That’s life in a nutshell. Which is why I love when people lament shark attacks. Hello, you’re swimming in its soup, people!

I am a vegetarian. I try to avoid animal products, but it’s impossible. My carnivorous dog eats meat. (So does my carnivorous husband.) Sadly, I cannot bend the universe to my will.

But I do decry animal cruelty. It is 100% unnecessary. Why can’t we ban factory farming? And animal testing? Because nasty things are done by people who make money, and they make more when they streamline the process. And some people hold their hand by insisting that there are no alternatives.

Innovation in cosmetics?!?! Humans have survived this long without fluffier eyelashes. Here, I’ll solve your innovation problem. I’m going to put all my will and might into creating an alternative for a new sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. EUREKA, I’ve done it. I shall name it “hat” and it shall shade the cells of people everywhere.

There are options when we insist on having them. When I eat eggs, for example, I choose the “free run” option. It costs about a buck more. I find it hard to believe that there’s even a non-free run option.

It kind of breaks my heart that mainstream “against animal testing” and other such claims are bunk. But I admire the heck out of other companies trying to change the status quo. Sure, they are using ingredients once tested on animals, since probably every ingredient has fallen into that category at one point or another. But what else are they going to use?

Perhaps LeftBrain knows of some magic new imaginary ingredients.

Keep on making the effort, decent people! Refuse to be discouraged.

For example, sunscreens used to leave a white film on people’s skin. Using new technologies (nanoparticles, new emulsifiers, etc.) formulators were able to reduce that undesirable effect and create the much better products we have today. Without animal testing, sunscreens would still have the undesirable, whitening effect.

Burts Bees & Toms of Maine don’t have to do animal testing because they use ingredients that have already been animal tested. They also will not develop any “innovative” products. Their stories/brands are innovative but that is only because of the story. Not because of the technology they use. Anyone can copy a Burts Bees formula.

Getting rid of animal testing will not make cosmetics ‘de facto’ unsafe. Cosmetics will just be stuck in time & will not develop new technologies to solve problems. No doubt there will be new stories, but no real, improved products.

Hope that makes sense.