Solutions
In 2007, there was a large shift away from animal testing that stemmed from statistics that showed as much as 25 percent of the drugs tested on animals failed to result in side effects that later proved serious enough to prevent the drugs from being marketed (Feder). A new method of product testing was developed that scientists believed could be the answer to eliminating the use of animals in the laboratory all together. The method is engineering tissue samples from donated human cells and using these recreated tissues to replace mice, cats, dogs, etc. Rodger D. Curren, president of the Institute for In-Vitro Sciences, a nonprofit testing center in Gaithersburg, Maryland explains that by using the in-vitro method on human cells, we now have the tools to look much
more closely at how toxicity occurs.
The only reason this has not adapted further is because the law does not enforce it so companies do not bother to take the time or make the investment into developing the new methods of testing (Ellin). "We now have the tools to look much more closely on how toxicity occurs, and that we have to do it on human cells,” said Rodger D. Curren, president of the Institute for In-Vitro Sciences, a nonprofit testing center in Gaithersburg, Md.
Scientific Solutions
Consumer Choices
The most important solution when it comes to animal testing are consumer choices. Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of Cruelty-Free Beauty states, “Some of us may think that we lack the capacity to persuade manufacturers to become more accountable, but, actually, the power dynamics are quite reversed. By using your purchasing power wisely, and communicating your grievances to non-compliant manufacturers, you will help your concerns to be heard.” PETA is one of the biggest advocates for consumer awareness when it comes to animal testing and on their website they have a list of companies that do and do not use this practice. The reason that this topic is so important is because every human, male or female, uses products without knowing what is in it, the harm those ingredients have cause animals in experiments, and the harm they can potentially cause humans. For example, some companies that test products on animals are Air Wick, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, Chapstick, Vaseline, Crest, Dove, Febreze, and Head & Shoulders. These are corporations that one can easily find on labels around the average household. The list of companies that do not practice animal testing includes Bath & Body Works, Too Faced Cosmetics, Shea Moisture, and it continues to grow along with the demands of consumers.
PETA'S list of companies
that use animal testing
PETA'S list of companies
that don't use animal testing
In today’s consumerist culture, it is not okay to turn our eyes away from things, like animal testing, which affect our lives in more ways than we are aware. That is why I challenge every one of you to be educated buyers. Be buyers that make a change by demanding that animal testing becomes illegal by solely supporting those companies that do not use the practice. One easy way to do this is by looking for these labels when shopping for products:
These labels, along with labels that state that a product is 100% vegan, show that the company that makes the product does not use animals in any part of their manufacturing process. This is an easy way to protest animal testing and demand that companies hear your concerns. Click here to access PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies 101 and learn more about being cruelty-free.
Cruelty-free labels