Brooklyn Benson
Women mostly in the Western and Eastern hemisphere use a variety of cosmetic products
such as mascara, blush, and lip balm. What these women may not realize, is what multiple
innocent animals were forced to go through, so they could put on their cosmetics. Cosmetics are
products that are applied to any part of a body. Cosmetics have two main categories- skin care
and makeup products. Skin care products may include cleansers, sunscreen, moisturizers, etc.
Makeup is any product that can be applied to someone to help them either cover up unwanted
marks (pimples, scars, dark spots, etc.) or to enhance their natural features. Cosmetic companies
usually ensure their products are safe for everyone to use. Not everyone sees animals as being
equal to humans. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C) requires that most
products must first be tested on animals to ensure safety for humans. They agree with the
Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy of Humane Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals. The cosmetic industry’s market value is billions of dollars. Due to the
amount of money this industry is making, the cosmetic companies will hire scientists who force
animals to undergo specific chemicals that cause them pain, suffering, and permanent harm
which usually results in death at the end of the experiment. Once the animals die, the scientists
will replace them and repeat this process. It is important for animals to not be tested on, so they
do not have to go through this pain and suffering daily. People need to be educated on what
animals are having to go through. Alternatives to animal testing would alleviate the unjust harm,
Abott, A. (2009). The Lowdown on Animal Testing for Cosmetics. Nature News. Doi:
10.1038/news.2009.147
This publication, explains the lowdown on testing animals for cosmetics. It focuses
specifically on animal testing in Europe. It explains that in 1976, animal testing was made to
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ensure the safety for humans. This went on until 1993, where an amendment was made to stop
animal testing, but no one ever actually stopped testing on the animals. Europe was the only
country to make a law against animal testing for cosmetics. There has not been any alternative
tests approved yet, but they are estimating in about one decade there will be. The global sales for
cosmetics is one hundred and two billion dollars. This is why it is hard to stop the testing,
because of how powerful the market is. For example, L’Oreal and Maybelline both continue to
test on animals. This source’s goal is to educate its audience on the facts of animal testing in
Baldrick, P. (2013) The Evolution of Juvenile Animal Testing for Small and Large Molecules.
10.1016/j.yrtph.2013.07.009
This publication is mainly about three important subjects. It describes juvenile animal
study frequency, what scientists are finding from the tests, and information about the trends for
now and the future for juvenile animal testing. Specifically in Europe, there is a need for testing
on juvenile animals, because they want to make sure the chemicals that they are using are safe.
This sources goal is to evaluate whether there is a need to test on juvenile animals for human
safety. This is a useful source, because it has multiple data charts that you can look at to further
your understanding. This source will help me add detail into my essay, because I will be able to
Dolgin, E. (2010) Animal Testing Alternatives Come Alive in US. Nature Medicine. Doi:
10.1038/nm120-1348
This report stresses the fact that the US is looking for alternatives to animal testing.
Thomas Hartung mentions that this is a big step for America, because in the past they have not
been as interested in finding alternatives. The US has teamed up with the Food and Drug
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Administration to look for alternatives, because of the benefits for everyone. This source will not
be used the most in my paper, because it is more health testing based, instead of cosmetics based.
It still has a few useful details and information that I will be using, such as the new American
Garattini, S. (2017) Animal Testing is Still the Best Way to Find New Treatments for Patients.
Trial and error is what this source is centered on. This source will be useful, because it is
my opposing view. For example, this source states that animals are needed for testing. They say
the outcome of the test will help decide whether it is safe for humans. Although they are pro
animal testing, they do agree that there could be improvements made for the comfort of the
animals. Also, this source mentions that animal testing has always been a controversial subject.
This sources overall goal was to explain that animal testing is still, and always will be, the best
way.
Liebsch, M. (2011) Alternatives to Animal Testing: A Current Status and Future Perspectives.
com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/article/10.1007/s00204-011-0718-x
This source explains the current status and future perspectives of animal testing. The
ZEBET, which is part of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, is based on replacement,
reduction, and refinement. The ZEBET would like to find an alternative to animal testing, but it
also believes in safety for humans. Currently, about 80 million animals are being tested on in the
US. This source’s goal is to explain what ZEBET is doing to help the current and future for
animals being used for testing. The information is reliable, because it comes from scientific data.
Phillips, K. (2007) New Methods to Eliminate Animal Testing. Chemical Week. 169 (17),
25.
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https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/docview/222528167
?accountid=4485&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo
The purpose of this source is to inform about the new methods of animal testing. For
example, there is an organization that has the goal to use animals less for testing. They are able
to save 240,000 mice by using an alternative method of testing. Also, they created a test so they
do not need to use rabbits eyes anymore. Lastly, they mentioned that in New York they have
been made aware of certain eye makeup that has lead in it, which is dangerous. Although this
source was the shortest one, it was packed full of information that I will be able to use for my
paper.
Swami, V. (2008) Free the Animals? Investigating Attitudes Toward Animal Testing in Britain
And the United States. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 49(3), 269-276. Doi:
10.1111/j.1467-9450.2008.00636.x
This source was by far the most different from the others. This source was about a group
of undergraduate students from Britain and America testing opinions on animal testing. The
participants filled out a questionnaire by themselves. There were people that both agreed and
disagreed. It was mostly women who disagreed with animal testing. This source is extremely
interesting, but it will not give me plenty of information for my paper. It does give us interesting
information, but there is not scientific data. Attitudes that were recorded might be helpful in
proving specific points in my paper, but it is not going to be my most used source.
http://www.nature.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/articles/463293b
The purpose of this source, is to tell people that activists should be consulted in animal
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testing decisions. The source explained that if activists are consulted, then both sides are able to
learn more. This way they would be able to understand each other more. The article explains that
activists are only attacking, because they feel like they are not being heard. In this source, there
are no scientific facts. It is a short source that is straight to the point. It is just someone who
shared their opinion, but I will still be able to use their opinion in my final paper.
Overall, I will be able to use all of the sources I annotated in my final paper. Each of
them had useful information. I had both sources that I agreed with, and sources that I disagreed
with. Animal testing for cosmetics needs to be stopped. These animals are being tortured, the
results are inaccurate, and it is extremely wasteful. There are new methods that scientists can use