“What concerns us the most at this point, in addition to animals dying for cosmetics, is that companies quietly began paying for animal testing again without telling anybody,” says Kathy Guillermo, vice president of laboratory investigation at PETA. “These are companies that have enjoyed the support of millions of consumers because they took a strong stance against animal testing.” More from Prevention: 5 Ways To Tell If Your Beauty Products Are Vegetarian Mary Kay is currently taking steps to work with officials in China to consider non-animal-testing alternatives, says PETA. Testing cosmetics on animals in a practice that’s been declining as a result of growing consumer awareness—but animal-testing does still exist in the US and abroad. One such test: The Draize rabbit eye and skin test for irritation, where substances are placed in animals’ eyes or directly on their skin to test for redness, ulcers, or irritation, explains Vicki Katrinak, spokeswoman for The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. The good news is that many companies are opting for non-animal-testing methods, such as EpiDerm and EpiSkin, which are tests that use cultured, human-derived cells to test for skin irritation, says Guillermo. Another positive change? The Institute for In Vitro Sciences, a nonprofit research laboratory, is currently working with the Chinese government and scientists worldwide to introduce non-animal-testing methods. To find cosmetics that make you—and our animal friends—happy, try these tips:
Look for the bunny. Choose products with a Leaping Bunny logo from The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. If you see a bunny-stamped product, it means that no animal testing is used in any phase of the product’s development.Be brand-wise. You can use PETA’s extensive searchable database of companies that do and do not test their products on animals. Watch out for new ingredients. Guillermo advises avoiding products touting newly developed ingredients. “In general, the only ones who still are doing tests on animals are companies that are developing new ingredients,” she says. Say something. Animals don’t get to speak for themselves, so if this is an issue you want to see change, let people know. Sign PETA’s petition urging Mary Kay, Avon, and Estee Lauder to stop animal testing.
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