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Why Animals Suffer for Beauty's Sake: The Pain Behind Cosmetics
| Article
# : |
14419 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1988 |
2,178 Words |
| Author
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Ginger Redmon and Susan Rich
Ginger Redmon and Susan Rich are freelance writers in the
Washington, D.C., area. |
Most of us learn early in life that pain is part of the quest for good look. Yet the pain associated with beauty is far more intense than the sting of a plucked eyebrow.
Behind the crayon colors, sleek packaging, and glitzy advertising of cosmetics and beauty products lies a trail of suffering and death.
Before they reach the stores, samples of most beauty and personal care items--from eyeshadow to laundry detergent--are dripped into the eyes of rabbits or force-fed to dogs, guinea pigs, mice, and other animals. These tests are performed not to seek an antidote in case of accidental ingestion--but merely to record the rate of organ destruction or the swiftness of death.
No one knows exactly how many animals perish in the name of personal and household care; however, we do know that animals are used to test most cosmetics and household products on the market. The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment estimates that fourteen million animals are used in product tests each year.
Aubrey Hampton is chief executive officer of Aubrey Organics, a twenty-year-old firm that markets an extensive line of "cruelty-free" beauty products.
"I don't think people should torture other species for their own greediness," he states. "That's why not one animal test has been conducted on our products.
"The animal testing issue goes beyond the philosophy of nonviolence," Hampton adds. "It is unscientific to experiment on animals. It's unsafe and it doesn't work. An animal is a bad model for a human being. Animal testing overlooks the human brain, which affects the working of the body."
The most common tests performed on animals by product manufacturers are the Draize eye irritancy test and various acute toxicity tests.
The tests
Since 1944, the Draize test has been the standard measurement of any substance that might get into the human eye. Liquid, flake, granular, or powder substances are dripped into the eyes of six to nine conscious albino rabbits. The rabbits are immobilized in restraining devices (stocks) from which only their heads protrude, and their eyes are held
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