Using animals for experiments has been employed for a long time. The US Department of Agriculture reports that over a million animals are tested yearly in the US alone. In scientific terms, for medicinal purposes and such, perhaps safe and humane animal testing is the only option for us to make sure that products are safe for human use. However, cosmetics are a different story entirely. Causing living creatures to suffer simply for makeup purposes-such as mascara, hair products, perfumes, and more-is an unacceptable reason. 

Only one federal act protects animal treatment for cosmetic use: the Animal Welfare Act, and its definition of “animal” does not even include mice, rats, and birds. In addition, the US Food and Drug Administration states that “animal testing by manufacturers seeking to market new products may be used to establish product safety” and advises to “employ whatever testing is appropriate and effective for substantiating the safety of their products”. This allows cosmetic brands such as Estee Lauder, Victoria’s Secret, and Maybelline to use animals to ensure the safety of their products. Furthermore, the FDA doesn’t regulate “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” packaging labels, so companies are legally allowed to put them on products that are, in fact, animal-tested.

So why is animal testing so cruel? Animal rights are violated through inhumane testing which includes, skin and eye tests for toxic and cancer-causing chemicals. These tests such as the common acute toxicity test cause nose/mouth bleeding, tumors, seizures and paralysis which lead to the death of rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. Because these tests are inhumane and not very reliable, the FDA does not require companies to perform them. The PETA reports different labs performing the same tests yet having different results. It is also common for the animals to be tested to have different reactions than humans. A journal from the Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, for example, reported carcinogens which cause cancer in humans, to be harmless to the rats that were tested. Because of the unreliability, companies can lose money and deal with lawsuits if they place products on the market that are safe for animals and not humans.

Alternative methods also exist which utilize synthetic skin such as EpiDerm and SkinEthic. Eyes from slaughtered cattle and chicken is a more humane option rather than the eyes from live rabbits. These alternative methods are not only approved, but recommended by the FDA and other administrations for their reliability compared to the outdated animal tests and their cheaper cost. A complete ban on animal testing would effectively remove innocent animals from inhumane treatment and experimenting.