Alternatives report calls on scientists to end cosmetics tests on animals
This week, our new report on the alternatives available to animal testing was presented to scientists at the 10th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Seattle.
The report, funded by The Body Shop, lists alternatives to cosmetics testing on animals, and outlines how they are not only more ethical but also more reliable, faster and cheaper than the animal tests they replace.
According to our report, here are TEN reasons why making animals suffer to bring a new eye shadow or cologne into the world belongs in the past:
- Animal tests are already being replaced. Every year the development of alternatives to animal testing is growing. Thanks to advancements in science, animals are being replaced in the testing of cosmetics as well as chemicals and drugs.
- There are simple alternatives available. Alternatives to animal testing for cosmetics include tests on simple organisms like bacteria, or tissue and skin cells donated from people. Some tests can even be carried out on computers or by using chemicals.
- Millions of animals are suffering and dying. Half a million animals are used in cosmetics testing globally every year. It’s time for the cruelty to stop.
- People want animal testing to end. This year Cruelty Free International and The Body Shop joined forces to launch a global campaign for a worldwide ban on animal testing on cosmetics products and ingredients. So far over two million people have signed our petition calling for an end to the cruelty everywhere and forever.
- There is a global trend towards cruelty free cosmetics. Countries all around the world are phasing out animal testing for cosmetics and switching to innovative alternatives. Bans already exist in 39 countries (including the EU) and are being considered in Australia, Brazil and the US.
- Shoppers prefer to buy cosmetics that have not been tested on animals. A whopping 79% of people said they would be likely to swap to a different brand if they discovered that animals were forced to suffer for the cosmetics they used.
- The alternatives to animal testing are much quicker. Tests on tissue and cells in laboratories for skin and eye irritation can be carried out in one day. The same tests carried out on live rabbits takes from two to three weeks.
- Alternatives to animal testing are much cheaper. Tests using computer models can be run at very little cost, saving thousands of pounds. Some cell-based tests cost as little as £500 compared to cruel tests on animals which take two years and cost approximately £1 million.
- Alternatives to animal experiments are more effective. The harmful use of animals in experiments is not only cruel but also often ineffective. While a combination of chemical and human cell tests has been shown to accurately predict human skin reactions 90% of the time, skin irritation tests on rabbits only predict human reactions 60% of the time.
- Celebrities have joined the fight against animal testing. Our high-profile friends are telling the world it’s time to end cosmetics testing on animals, including Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams who is backing our campaign with the Body Shop for a global ban on cosmetics animal testing.
Dr Katy Taylor, Director of Science & Regulatory Affairs at Cruelty Free International, said: “The public desperately wants to see an end to the suffering of animals used to test cosmetics. With better and more sophisticated alternatives now available, governments and decision-makers should take action to end the horrific practice once and for all.”
Cruelty Free International and The Body Shop are aiming to deliver a petition – with a target of 8 million signatures – to the United Nations in 2018, to request an international convention banning cosmetics testing on animals everywhere and forever. If you agree that cosmetics experiments on animals are cruel and it’s time for them to stop, please sign the petition