IGCSE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

TOPIC: HUMANS AND OTHER SPECIES

Research Question: How do the views in favor of and against

animal testing for cosmetic products compare?

Candidate Name: Chloe Sandifer-Stech

Candidate Number: 1729

Centre Number: CN171

Word Count: 1,992

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Introduction

When I was first introduced to animal testing, I believed that animals had the same right

to life as humans. However, I now feel that this opinion was very generalized. For this reason, I

decided to focus solely on animal testing for cosmetic products to formulate an opinion of my

own. I also would like to examine how other countries and individual nations view cosmetic

animal testing. Although there are many more ethical, economical, and political reasons as to

why we should use alternatives methods, companies continue to practice on animals because

animals do not have the capability to refuse. By the end of my research, I want to know if the

views in favor of animal testing outweigh the views against it, or vice versa.

Definition

Based off of a popularity vote on Merriam-

Webster.com, the definition for cosmetics are: used

or done in order to improve a persons

appearance1.

Cosmetic animal testing is used to test

the safety of the products sold by cosmetic Figure 1: A rabbit having an injection in his
eye2
companies. Animal tests usually includes skin and

eye irritation tests or force-feeding cosmetic products through animals mouths to see what

dosage of the product will cause death or disease.2 These tests cause pain to animals as well as

1 "Cosmetic." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmetic>.

2 "About Cosmetics Animal Testing: Humane Society International." HSI. Humane Society
International, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/facts/about_cosmetics_animal_testing.html>.
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swollen eyes, internal bleeding, or even death.

Companies that test on animals

Cosmetic companies including Maybelline and Listerine still

test on animals today. However, companies like LOreal

display on their website calling themselves a cruelty-free

company3 This claim is with exception if regulatory

authorities demanded it

for safety or regulatory purposes. LOreal is still labeled a

cruelty company by Peta because it markets its products in

countries that require foreign products to be animal tested. Figure 2: Logos of the
companies that still test on
animals4

#BeCrueltyFree Campaign

The Humane Society International created a global campaign called #BeCrueltyFree as

an aim to end cosmetic animal testing worldwide.4 This campaign has led to the banning of

animal testing for cosmetics in 28 countries of the European Union since 2009. Countries

including India, Brazil, and New Zealand have all recently begun a national cosmetics animal

testing ban.

3"The Question of Animal Testing." L'Oreal. L'Oreal, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.loreal.com/sustainability/l'oral-answers/the-question-of-animal-
testing>.

4"Be Cruelty-Free." HSI. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 09 Oct.

2016.<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/be_cruelty_free.html>.
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Views in favor of animal testing

Animal testing for cosmetic products prevents harmful ingredients from being sold to the

public. Prior to 1938 before the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was passed, several tragic

incidents happened in the United States because of the use of untested cosmetic products.5

Because of an untested mascara called Lush Lure, more than a dozen people went blind and/or

suffered burns to their eyes. In 1937, over 100 people died from taking a cough syrup called

Elixir Sulfanilamide because it contained toxic chemicals. Through the use of animal testing,

incidents like this can be prevented.

Secondly, animals in laboratories are protect by the Animal Welfare Act that was passed

in 1996.6 The Act declares the minimum standards the environment in which the animals are

housed, as well as requires veterinarians to check up on the animals in labs often. Additionally,

whenever a company wants to use animals in research, it must be approved by the Institutional

Animal Care and Use Committee.

Views against animal testing

5 "Why Do Companies Test Cosmetics or Other Products on Animals?" Animal Research Cures.
The American Physiological Society, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.animalresearchcures.org/testing.htm>.
6"12 Pros and Cons of Animal Testing On Cosmetics." Green Garage Blog.
GreenGarageBlog.org, 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016. <http://greengarageblog.org/12-pros-
and-cons-of-animal-testing-on-cosmetics>.
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Although this video mainly discusses the debate of whether animals should be used for

medical purposes, the arguments against animal testing for medical purposes applies to the

arguments against animal testing for cosmetic purposes as well. Peter Tatchell of Equal Love

Campaign responds to a pro-animal testing accusation by saying that to suggest that theres

some great gulf between us and other animals is nonsense.7 He believes that since we are all part

of the animal kingdom and we all have a similar essence, we dont have a right to treat them as

objects for our benefit.

Dr. Kailah Eglington from Hadwen Trust for Humane Research says that top scientists

7 Is Animal Testing Justified? (The Big Questions). Leicester, England: Nicky Campbell, 2012.
video.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD51eAOPSKc>.
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from around the world say that the animal model is flawed, meaning that it is much different

than a human model and therefore is not accurate to test human products on.8 She gives the

statistic that 9 out of 10 of animal tests that succeed on animals fail on humans. She claims that

animal testing is more expensive, and that peoples taxes are paying for failures.

Chinas animal testing laws for cosmetics

Regular products (e.g. make-up) Special products (e.g. hair

dyes)
Domestically Do not require animal testing Require animal testing

manufactured
Foreign imported Require animal testing Require animal testing9

How is the #BeCrueltyFree affecting Chinas animal testing policies?

The campaign is taking initiative to end animal testing by10:

- Changing animal testing laws in countries around the world

- Advocating for the use of alternatives by training/educating companies on how to use

them

8 Is Animal Testing Justified? (The Big Questions). Leicester, England: Nicky Campbell, 2012.
video.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD51eAOPSKc>.

9 Ly, Vicky. "Understanding China's Animal Testing Laws." Ethical Elephant. Ethical Elephant,
9 Sept. 2015. Web. 9 Sept. 2016.<http://ethicalelephant.com/understanding-china-animal-
testing-laws/>.

10 "Be Cruelty-Free." HSI. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 09 Oct.

2016.<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/be_cruelty_free.html>.
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Cosmetic companies like Paul Mitchell have pledged not to sell their products in China

until the animal testing law has ended.11 Other companies like Urban Decay have also pulled

their products out of China.12 An Urban Decay spokesperson said While several factors were

important in reaching this decision, ultimately we did not feel we could comply with current

regulation in China and remain true to our core principles.

Scenarios

What if animal testing was banned worldwide?

Companies have a better idea of how safe their product is because of animal testing. They

have the opportunity to alter the ingredients if they are proven unsafe. Alternatives are often

inconvenient compared to animal testing because it is harder for the company to find a willing

group of people to be tested on or hire qualified doctors to perform tests on human tissues.

Companies would not want to go through the whole process of alternative testing, so they would

end up selling untested products.

11 "Be Cruelty-Free." HSI. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 09 Oct.

2016.<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/be_cruelty_free.html>.

12 Yeomans, Michelle. "Can Cosmetic Brands Afford to Opt out of China over Animal
Testing?" CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com. William Reed Business Media, 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 11
Sept. 2016.<http://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/Regulation-Safety/Can-
cosmetic-brands-afford-to-opt-out-of-China-over-animal-testing/>.
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Because of this, there would likely be more incidents of companies selling harmful

products to the public. In most situations, the label animal tested is proof that the product is

safe. Without that label, consumers have no idea of the safety of the products they are buying.

What would happen if only human testing was used instead of animal testing?

In the future, I think it is likely that companies will use humans more often to test out

products. Because people are starting campaigns and protests, more people believe that animal

testing is inhumane. Therefore, I predict that governments will make their animal testing laws for

lenient.

If only humans were tested on, there would be a higher number of deaths and

disfigurations on peoples bodies. If these tests do not end up terminating a persons life, the

person would have to live suffering the consequences of the experiment. Children of tested

persons may also suffer consequences (e.g. birth defects) from the experiment.

Courses of Action: Debate Show

Host: Welcome to the show Can I solve this? Today our contestants Mr. Lee and Ms. McGuire

will be coming up with creative solutions for the current debate on whether animal testing should

be used for cosmetic testing. Whichever contestant comes up with the best idea will be awarded

$10,000! First we start with Mr. Lee. Mr. Lee, take it away!

Mr. Lee: I propose that if companies continue using ingredients that are already proven safe,

they would no longer need to test on animals. Companies that test on animals continuously are
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creating new ingredients for their products, which do not have existing safety information for

these ingredients. Therefore, companies must test on animals to make sure the product is safe. If

companies just continued using the existing cosmetic ingredients, they would not have to

perform these tests on animals.

Host: Excellent point Mr. Lee. Lets see if Ms. McGuire can give us a more convincing solution.

Ms. McGuire: Mr. Lee, your possible solution is not very practical. Companies must continue to

create new ingredients in order to compete in the cosmetic market. If they only use old products,

people will no longer buy products from the company. My solution is to boycott animal tested

products in places where it is required. In order to do this, it would require an animal rights

organization to recruit enough supporters to host a large enough boycott for the difference in that

companys sales is noticeable. Because of this, companies may consider pulling their product out

of countries that require animal testing if people are no longer buying.

By boycotting animal tested products, it may encourage companies to try and use animal

testing alternatives. One extremely popular alternative method is through the use of human

tissues. Human tissues can be donated from human volunteers or medical surgery to be used for

animal testing. For example, models of human skin and eyes have been made to use instead of

rabbit irritation tests. Companies like Mattek are examples of companies that are producing these

models for cosmetic companies to use.13

13"Alternatives to Animal Testing." Cruelty Free International. Cruelty Free International, n.d.
Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/why-we-do-it/alternatives-animal-
testing/>.
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Host: Good point, Ms. McGuire. Now it is up to YOU to decide who one this debate. Make sure

you cast in your vote! Next week we will reveal who won on this weeks episode of Can I solve

this?

Personal Response

Before my research, I had a strong opinion on testing animals solely for medical research,

but had not considered my opinion on using animals to test cosmetic products. For medical

research, I believed (and still believe) that using animals to test on for human products is not

practical. Humans and animals are biologically different, so the results of medicines on animals

is likely to have a different effect than that of humans.

After my research, I have concluded that the views in favor of animal testing outweigh

views against animal testing to an extent. I believe that is acceptable to test cosmetic products on

animals in situations where it does not pose a permanent threat to the individual animal.

Therefore, I think it is okay to test a product on if you are testing out how the product would

look. This way, the product is not at risk of hurting the animal.

On the other hand, I believe if the manufacturers of a specific cosmetic product are

unsure if the ingredients are safe, then they absolutely should not test their product, on humans or

animals. It is unethical to harm animals physically, especially if it with terminate their life. For

example, I believe that testing Windex in the eyes of rats14 should not be done. Windex is a

product that contains chemical substances, so it is common sense that placing it into an animals

eye will cause damage.

14"8 Products You Own That Are Tested on Animals." Business Insurance. Business Insurance
Quotes, 2012. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.<http://www.businessinsurance.org/8-products-
you-own-that-are-tested-on-animals/>.
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However, if a cosmetic product must be tested on, I believe the only part of the body that

should be tested on is the skin because it does not cause permanent damage to the animal. Skin

tissue will grow back, whereas a damaged eye will not.

Bibliography

"Cosmetic." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmetic>.
2
"About Cosmetics Animal Testing: Humane Society International." HSI. Humane Society
International, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/facts/about_cosmetics_animal_testing.html>.
3
"The Question of Animal Testing." L'Oreal. L'Oreal, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.loreal.com/sustainability/l'oral-answers/the-question-of-
animal-testing>.
4
"Be Cruelty-Free." HSI. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/be_cruelty_free.html>.
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5
"Why Do Companies Test Cosmetics or Other Products on Animals?" Animal Research Cures.
The American Physiological Society, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.animalresearchcures.org/testing.htm>.
6
"12 Pros and Cons of Animal Testing On Cosmetics." Green Garage Blog.
GreenGarageBlog.org, 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
<http://greengarageblog.org/12-pros-and-cons-of-animal-testing-on-cosmetics>.
7
Is Animal Testing Justified? (The Big Questions). Leicester, England: Nicky Campbell, 2012.
video.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD51eAOPSKc>.
8
Is Animal Testing Justified? (The Big Questions). Leicester, England: Nicky Campbell, 2012.
video.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD51eAOPSKc>.
9
Ly, Vicky. "Understanding China's Animal Testing Laws." Ethical Elephant. Ethical Elephant,
9 Sept. 2015. Web. 9 Sept. 2016.
<http://ethicalelephant.com/understanding-china-animal-testing-laws/>.
10
"Be Cruelty-Free." HSI. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/be_cruelty_free.html>.
11
"Be Cruelty-Free." HSI. Humane Society International, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/be_cruelty_free.html>.
12
Yeomans, Michelle. "Can Cosmetic Brands Afford to Opt out of China over Animal Testing?"
CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com. William Reed Business Media, 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/Regulation-Safety/Can-cosmetic-
brands-afford-to-opt-out-of-China-over-animal-testing/>.
13
"Alternatives to Animal Testing." Cruelty Free International. Cruelty Free International, n.d.
Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/why-we-do-it/alternatives-animal-testing/>.

14
"8 Products You Own That Are Tested on Animals." Business Insurance. Business Insurance
Quotes, 2012. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.businessinsurance.org/8-products-you-own-that-are-tested-on-
animals/
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