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Emmi T. Ferguson

Professor Cynthia Richardson

English 1201

20 January 2019

Research Proposal

I want to research why makeup companies still test on animals. This topic is very relevant

to me because I wear makeup almost every day. I love putting it on because it's very therapeutic

and part of my daily routine to de-stress in the morning before school. I also watch a lot of

makeup tutorials from beauty gurus on Youtube to get inspiration and tips. Lately, beauty

influencers have been supporting and talking about brands that are cruelty-free (meaning they

don’t test on animals) and there is an overall push for better treatment of animals, not only in the

world of makeup. Since I was a child I have always loved all animals and seeing pictures of

bunnies and other animals looking horrific because of the harsh testing methods breaks my heart.

My goal is to find out why some brands still test on animals. How do humans benefit from

putting these creatures through this testing? There has to be some benefit or companies wouldn’t

continue to do it. Does it make makeup safer for humans or does it just cause harm? Also, what

does this testing entail and how does it affect the animals afterward.

I feel very passionately about this subject because of my love for animals. Even though I

haven’t done much research (therefore I don’t know what the benefits are) I don’t think any

companies should test on animals. I do know a lot still do and judging by pictures I’ve seen

online of animals that have been tested on, it’s disturbing and very sad. Since not all companies

do testing, it’s clear that makeup can be made safe without it. I believe that all makeup
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companies can make the transition and make makeup safe and good quality without testing on

animals. I want to figure out why some companies haven’t made the switch to cruelty-free yet.

Makeup is for made for humans, not animals so animals shouldn’t have to test it out first. I

believe that as a society we should start treating all the animals of Earth better and not just when

it’s convenient. Most corporations only care about their own gain and don’t think about the

consequences for the animals they are using for their own benefit.

While I have so many questions concerning this topic, the main thing I need to figure out

is why makeup companies test on animals. What are their motives? What do they get from doing

testing and does it benefit the consumer in any way? Second, what does it mean to test on

animals? I plan to really research and show the horrors of testing. How does it work and what

does it mean to test on animals? What animals are frequently used and what chemicals are the

animals exposed to? Can the animals live a normal life after or are they always permanently

scarred from the testing or killed from it? Lastly, do the positives outweigh the negatives, and if

not, why do people still agree to do this?