Because cosmetic testing is illegal in the UK, it is easy to assume products sold in Britain are morally neutral and cruelty free. This is not the case.

In the beauty industry it is perfectly legal for a company to state that they 'do not test on animals' or are 'against testing' while still supporting cosmetic testing. Companies like MAC, NARS, Smashbox, Jo Malone, Rimmel and Maybelline outsource animal testing to countries like China, where animal welfare laws are lax and testing is cheap. This means that while the brand itself may not test, the parent company (i.e the company who owns it) does or outsources so each individual brand owned by the parent company is a brand that uses animals for testing, and benefits from cosmetic animal testing in general. 

The aim of this petition is to put an end to ambiguity: to make signage compulsory on cosmetics packaging so consumers know what they are buying. I recently conducted asked 20 teenage girls from the ages of 12 to 16 asking if they knew which companies tested on animals, and less than 10% correctly identified testers. This shows that the British public does not know what they are buying, not for a lack of concern for animal welfare, but because the information is so hard to find. 

To combat this I propose compulsory signage (for example easy to identify colour labels; red for testers, amber for outsource testers and green for cruelty free products) on all cosmetics products. How this is done does not matter as long as the information is readily available to create a trusting relationship between producer and consumer. This would also serve as an initiative for companies to stop testing, as we may find sales of 'red label' cleaning products, hair and dental care and cosmetics fall. The scheme could in principal lead to fewer companies testing on animals, and thus fewer needless animal casualties. 

I have already sent letters to all appropriate MPs and the PM with negligible feedback and would really appreciate support on this issue from fellow animal lovers and anyone who would like to see cosmetic testing ended for good. The issue has been raised in parliament but to no avail- every signature counts!

"Although they are not required by law, several tests are commonly performed by exposing mice, rats, rabbits and guinea pigs to cosmetics ingredients. This can include:

• skin and eye irritation tests where chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of restrained rabbits without any pain relief
• repeated force-feeding studies lasting weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards such as cancer or birth defects; and 
• widely condemned "lethal dose" tests, in which animals are forced to swallow large amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death.

At the end of a test the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking, or decapitation. Pain relief is not provided. In the United States and China, a large percentage of the animals used in such testing (such as laboratory-bred rats and mice) are not counted in official statistics and receive no protection under the Animal Welfare Act."

How can we be combat cosmetic animal testing when we are silently funding it? Make signage compulsory and sign this petition.

Thank you.

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3