According to Humane Society International, approximately 100,000,000 animals suffer and die yearly from cosmetic testing. Experiments are conducted on these animals to determine whether or not new products might cause skin and/or eye irritation. Animals that are allegedly protected underneath the Animal Welfare Act do not have the protection that the law has promised, but yet they should. The federal government should enforce and develop stricter laws regarding animal testing within the cosmetic manufacturing industry which would decrease the number of animals that would suffer in the US. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The act gives authority to the U.S. FDA to oversee the safety of
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These tests include applying caustic substances to the surface of the skin or injecting under the skin to test allergic reactions. Other tests include applying samples to the animals eyes to assess for signs of bleeding or blindness. Companies now have a variety of ingredients that they can use that have already been proven safe for human use. Animal testing affects not just animals but people also. According to a recent Gallup poll 68% of households own a pet. This segment of the population is expressing a growing disapproval for animal testing. Recently there has been a shift away from animal testing in cosmetic research and development. Countries like the European Union and India have banned all animal testing in the last 5 years. In 2013 over 500 companies in the US and Canada have been certified animal testing free. There are techniques now available to companies that are more humane, faster, less expensive, and able to prognosticate how the results will affect people. For example, non animal testing scenarios in the development of consumer products include in vitro, episkin, epiderm, and skinethic testing. Now that there are alternate methods instead of animal testing the laws should be easier to enforce. However, companies are being “forced” to generate new and improved products to stay competitive. This, in turn, necessitates further testing which may include
These tests include applying caustic substances to the surface of the skin or injecting under the skin to test allergic reactions. Other tests include applying samples to the animals eyes to assess for signs of bleeding or blindness. Companies now have a variety of ingredients that they can use that have already been proven safe for human use. Animal testing affects not just animals but people also. According to a recent Gallup poll 68% of households own a pet. This segment of the population is expressing a growing disapproval for animal testing. Recently there has been a shift away from animal testing in cosmetic research and development. Countries like the European Union and India have banned all animal testing in the last 5 years. In 2013 over 500 companies in the US and Canada have been certified animal testing free. There are techniques now available to companies that are more humane, faster, less expensive, and able to prognosticate how the results will affect people. For example, non animal testing scenarios in the development of consumer products include in vitro, episkin, epiderm, and skinethic testing. Now that there are alternate methods instead of animal testing the laws should be easier to enforce. However, companies are being “forced” to generate new and improved products to stay competitive. This, in turn, necessitates further testing which may include