Expert: Robin Flynn - 11/10/2010

Question
Thank you for your reply to my questions before. However, I have one more question. What is your opinion concerning using animals for testing cosmetics? Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Robert,

My opinion is that animals should not be used in experiments. They are sentient beings that should not be abused, tortured, confined, caged and killed. In regards to cosmetic testing its almost ridiculous that some companies still choose to use animals to test products. There are thousands of cosmetic products available that do not test on animals or use animal ingredients. So why do some companies still do it? Because they can, and that needs to change. Back in the 70's Animal Rights International targeted both medical and cosmetic testing in a campaign to end this horrible practice. They were successful after pulling in the public to move Revlon to non-animal alternatives for their testing procedures. But before this happened the company and scientists pushed back and said that animal testing was necessary for the welfare and safety of humans. Well, clearly that isn't true and the alternatives that were "unsafe" work very well in ensuring the safety of people. This is the same argument that some scientists use today. However, it isn't necessary and animal testing should end. Check out the details regarding ARI's campaigns.

http://www.ari-online.org

There are many organizations and scientists that believe using animals alternatives is the right approach to finding cures and keeping the public safe and I am a huge supporter of their work. Please explore these organizations ( provided links below) that are on the forefront of moving to alternative methods. Researchers have been testing on animals for a very long time and for diseases like Cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's they have not been successful. Using alternatives to animal testing may very well be the thing that actually helps them find a cure. Animals and humans do not have the same biological systems therefore tests can react differently on animals than they would on humans. A test performed on an animal may yield a positive result but can be very dangerous to a human or vise versa. Approximately 500 million animal deaths a year are unnecessary and thankfully the European Union has started to move in the right direction by no longer permitting animal tests on finished cosmetic products in the EU. I hope the US follows their lead.   


www.pcrm.org
http://caat.jhsph.edu/resources/index.htm
http://www.humaneresearch.org.uk/researchers/current.html
http://www.iivs.org/

For the Animals,

Robin