Is animal testing ever necessary?

There’s been uproar this week over cosmetic companies being stripped of their cruelty-free status because they’re testing on animals.

Here in the UK most companies are proud to be against cosmetic testing, but once a company sells their wares in China they have to comply with their rules, which means mandatory animal experiments.

I’m outraged by this! While some of our favourite make up and beauty brands might be perfectly reputable over here, as soon as they try and enter a new market their morals go out the window it seems.

This is a massive step backwards in animal rights and it has caused a barrage of complaints.

The Humane Society International has condemned this practice and launched campaign featuring Ricky Gervais, who has been vocal about his opposition to visisection.

He told The Independent: “Like me, most people will be shocked to learn that testing cosmetics on animals is still a legal requirement in China. It makes me really angry that this is still going on.”

He also said that it makes him particularly fuming that cruelty-free companies are happy to abandon their principles in order to profit from the Chinese market.

I remember when the Body Shop first made it big and it made me really sit back and think about where I bought my toiletries and makeup from.

For the past 20 years or so I’ve tried to be really careful not to use products from companies which test on animals.

I can understand the use of animal testing in medical research and while I’m not happy about it, I can’t pretend that I don’t appreciate the scientific progress and the ability to cure illnesses in humans.

It’s a difficult line to tow but I think some of these cosmetic firms have got their message mixed up somewhere.

Hopefully this gaff will be rectified sharpish!

How do you feel about cosmetic testing on animals?

Posted by Margo Hunter