Dear Future President,

When it comes to the topic of animal testing, most of us will readily agree that it is horribly wrong. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is the harsh truth that companies everyone uses daily are participating. It has become common today to dismiss the overlooked issue of cosmetic testing and abuse. People are ignoring the truth behind their makeup and deodorant in an attempt to forget the fact that the mascara they are putting on caused unnecessary pain. Name brand companies including Maybelline, M.A.C Cosmetics, Old Spice, Dove and so many more are still testing their cosmetic and household products on animals. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned, and abused in US labs every year. Cosmetic animal testing needs to be put to a stop due to the fact that it is not required by law, it is proven ineffective, and it harms and abuses innocent souls.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (regulated by the Food and Drug Administration) does not require cosmetic products to be tested on animals to prove they are free of harm. If the FDA does not require these types of damaging tests, why do companies still perform these horrifying experiments on animals? The truth is to make sure their products don’t appear to be risky. Companies are right to argue that these tests help ensure the safety of products, but on the other hand, I still insist that testing is performed in ways that do not harm innocent animals. Although these ingredient inspections allows companies to avoid releasing harmful products to the public, it does not make it right to test potentially toxic products on animals. There are plenty of other types of testing that will prove the safety of cosmetics while still protecting the animals. If this is not put to a stop, millions of animals will be killed as a result of cosmetic testing in the next year.

Most of the tests performed on animals are also ineffective and useless. The Do Something organization states that 92% of experimental drugs that are safe and effective in animals fail in human clinical trials because they are too dangerous or don’t work. This means that about 9 out of 10 cosmetic products tested on animals are too dangerous for humans. There have many cures to diseases including HIV/AIDS and cancer that are valid in animals. As we all know, cures for these two diseases are still medical mysteries. According to National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Richard Klausner, “We have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn’t work in humans”. Animal biology in relation to human biology are too different for many cures to be effective in both bodies. This proves these tests to be unnecessary cruelty, killing and harming many animals to create many useless cures that are unsuccessful and worthless.

The animals are also traumatized by painful experiments. Rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs and hamsters are used as test dummies for cosmetic products we use today. Tests including eye and skin irritation tests, repeated oral force feeding, and “lethal dose” tests are practiced. Eye and skin irritation tests are performed by dripping and rubbing chemicals on shaved skin or in their eyes. Repeated oral force feeding can last for months, many of the trials resulting in severe injury such as cancer and birth defects. “Lethal dose” tests are done to determine the maximum dosage of a chemical that causes death. The animals are force fed large samples of chemicals and suffer immense amounts of pain and distress without pain relievers. The tests can cause blindness, swollen eyes, sore and bleeding skin, internal bleeding, organ damage, birth defects, convulsions and death. At the end of the testing, the animals are killed by asphyxiation, decapitation, or neck-breaking.

The list of consequences these helpless creatures suffer is way too extensive. This issue can be fixed by a ban on cosmetic animal testing. There are already 32 countries that have banned animal testing. We need to give those without a voice, a voice. Cosmetic animal testing is a cruel and unnecessary practice that needs to be put to an end.

Sincerely,

Katelyn    

 "11 Facts About Animal Testing." DoSomething.org. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-animal-testing

@peta. "Experiments on Animals: Overview." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-used-experimentation-factsheets/animal-experiments-overview/

"Fact Sheet: Cosmetic Testing." RSS. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/cosmetic_testing/qa/questions_answers.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/ 

@peta. "Cruelty to Animals in Laboratories." PETA. Web. 18 Oct. 2016 .http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-laboratories/

"About Cosmetics Animal Testing : Humane Society International." RSS. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. http://www.hsi.org/issues/becrueltyfree/facts/about_cosmetics_animal_testing.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/