Animals are some of the most genuine and sweet creatures to ever grace this earth and they deserve to be treated accordingly. I remember hearing about animal testing for the first time at a young age, and thinking that animal testing was just brushing some makeup on a bunny or putting foundation on a dog. That is what companies that test on animals want you to believe. I never realized the full extent of the torture these animals have to endure. What really called me to this issue was how consumers blindly trust and support some major makeup brands that test on animals, myself included. The ultimate goal is to eradicate all animal testing. This lofty goal is far in the future. Educating people about what exactly animal testing is will help to have people understand more about the brands they choose to support. Educating people could be as simple as introducing students in middle school. The main focus is on educating college students about the horrors of animal testing and what brands do and do not use animal testing. In doing so, we could slowly eradicate animal testing in all big companies that choose to test on animals, such as Colgate, Clorox, and Axe. The more society is educated about the reality and cruelty of animal testing, the bigger the potential to spark anyone to further investigate corporations and their ethics. There are many alternatives to animal testing that other brands, such as Bath and Body Works, Toms, and Trader Joes choose to do, such as in vitro method using human cells. 

More than one hundred million animals are killed every year. Animal testing can be traced back as far as the 17th century. That is billions and billions of animals having died since animal testing began. Additionally, it is not beneficial to anyone to perform animal testing: “The majority of animal experiments do not contribute to improving human health, and the value of the role that animal experimentation plays in most medical advances is questionable” (Peta). Furthermore, these experiments may work to cure cancer in monkeys or mice but once tested on humans these cures don’t work. Unbeknownst to us, our tax dollars are the ones being used to fund animal testing: “Despite the vast amount of public funds being used to underwrite animal experimentation, it is nearly impossible for the public to obtain current and complete information regarding the animal experiments that are being carried out in their communities or funded with their tax dollars” (Peta).

I created this petition to bring more awareness to brands that do test on animals versus brands that choose not to test on animals. With enough signatures, we can have more consumers aware of the true horrors of animal testing and support ethical companies. The hope would eventually change brands that do test on animals to be more ethical and bring clarity to people, such as Tom Vilsak, the United States of America Secretary of Agriculture and help him realize how barbaric animal testing is and end animal testing altogether.