Europe Bans Animal Testing on Cosmetics

What: By 2013, no European cosmetic products (at least legal ones) will be tested on animals - in theory - thanks to two new bans that outlaw animal testing on cosmetic ingredients and consequently, the sale of animal tested cosmetics.

What We Say: Bravo to the EU for taking such a difficult step toward animal rights. Even those of us who aren’t PETA members like to hear that “no animals were harmed in the making of this makeup.” British-speaking lab rats are probably throwing a party right now.

But it’s a lot more complicated than that. After all, there’s a reason animals are tested in the first place, and that reason isn’t that creators of cosmetics hate animals. Unfortunately, we just haven’t found alternatives that are as effective as animal testing... yet. Although the FDA doesn’t require US brands to test their cosmetics on animals, it does require such cosmetics to be safe. And if you’ve got to have a lab rat on hand to prove such a thing (which is often the case), well, you’ve got to do some animal testing.

So, what’s Europe’s secret? Well, if all the players in the industry are dealing with the same legalities, they’re all about even. We could see some of them coming to America to market their animal tested products, getting back their edge.

Do you care if your cosmetics are tested on animals? If so, what brands do you buy - Avon, anything else?

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| Posted by LauraJaneKyle

Member Comments

March 21, 2009 Ella_1073 wrote:

I hate animal testing-it’s cruel what they do to animals, and it’s not that accurate, humans and rats aren’t that closely related. Anyways, some of my favorite brands are: Urban Decay, Revlon, TRESemme, Wet ‘n Wild, Bath and Body Works, Claire’s [and The Icing by Claire’s], Sephora, etc.

March 22, 2009 Chessmont wrote:

Animal Testing is necessary; how do you think chemotherapy, life-saving cancer trearments, intricate surgeries, life-saving drugs and antibiotics come into being for the benefit of humanity? Even the nutcase Ingrid Newkirk of the radical animal rights group PETA praised painkillers as how she was able to deal with a broken (arm? not sure what bone) How the hell does that crazy hypocrite think those painkillers were developed to aid in her comfort??

The former VP (I believe that was the position) of despicable PETa) I believe her name is Mary Beth Sweetland, uses insulin for diabetes. Even though now it is made without using pigs, she took it for years before that. How did she justify it? paraphrasing a quote - “My work is so important it’s OK for me to use animal products.” What a load.

And BTW, a cosmetic can be labeled ‘not tested on animals’ if THAT particular product was not; the ingredients of it, if they were tested at some prior point (years ago, by another company) - the ‘cruelty-free’ product is not required to disclose that and be labelled for that.

To me, this is not a complicated issue.

Hypocrites will gladly use life-saving measures on themselves with animal-tested products and procedures. Hypocritical or naive.

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