The vast majority of products and components of the cosmetic industry are still tested on animals. Animal rights activists are calling for this practice to be banned.
Cosmetics have existed for thousands of years, but testing for their safety began only in the middle of the 20th century after a number of accidents among people. The next “victims” were animals, veterinarian Tamara Sokolova told news agency RuNews24.ru.
To test just one component, at least 1,400 experimental subjects are required - mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, monkeys. According to statistics from World Animal Protection International, up to 150 million laboratory animals die every year worldwide.
Unlike medical testing, testing of cosmetics on animals is not regulated in any way by law. Meanwhile, modern beauty industry products are much more toxic than medications: they irritate the mucous membrane, and aerosol vapors are harmful to internal organs.
“Today, testing of cosmetics on animals is prohibited in about 40 countries. Some manufacturers put “cruelty-free” (“cruelty-free”) labels on their products, but how can you be sure that they are not lying by drawing a rabbit on the packaging?” Tamara Sokolova, a veterinarian at the Porcupine clinic, told RuNews24.ru.
In 1980, the organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was created. PETA activists advocate, in particular, for alternative methods of laboratory testing of cosmetics.
This can be testing on artificially grown human skin - this method is called In vitro. The In silico method, or computer modeling, reproduces human conditions and reactions, copies metabolism and as a result reveals how toxic a substance is.
Finally, no one has canceled volunteers who are insured, who have consciously made a choice and dream of getting rid of seborrhea, dermatitis and other pathologies. However, all of the above methods are expensive, so unscrupulous developers continue to destroy animals.
“The transition to alternative methods will require the creation of a legislative framework and large investments. However, sooner or later the world must come to this in order to save millions of animals from suffering,” Tamara Sokolova is sure.