Help Stop Animal Testing

On a day to day basis, most of us never stop to think about what goes into the products we buy.  I never thought about it until about a year ago.  I just knew that I liked certain products for certain things and that was that.  I liked Redkin Soft Shampoo, Aussie Deeep conditioner, Crest toothpaste, Loreal mascara, Tide detergent…So what do all these companies have in common?  Well, not only are they filled with a bunch of synthetic chemicals, they also do unnecessary animal testing.

These companies and the ones listed below are not required by law to do animal testing.  The only animal testing required by law is for pharmaceuticals which I don’t necessarily agree with either.  Animal testing on personal care products and household items are not required by law.  In fact in Europe the EU has banned all animal testing for cosmetics by 2009.  So starting next year, those companies that did test on animals will have to find other means of testing their products.

The good news there are alternatives to animal testing that are often faster and cheaper.  According to PETA:

“Alternatives to the use of animals in toxicity testing include replacing animal tests with non-animal methods, as well as modifying animal-based tests to reduce the number of animals used and to minimize pain and distress. Non-animal tests are generally faster and less expensive than the animal tests they replace and improve upon.

To date, several non-animal test methods have been formally validated and accepted by some countries as replacements for an existing animal test. Examples include:

• An embryonic stem cell test, using mouse-derived cells to assess potential toxicity to developing embryos, has been validated as a partial replacement for birth-defect testing in rats and rabbits.(6)
• The 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Test, which uses cells grown in culture to assess the potential for sunlight-induced (“photo”) irritation to the skin.
• Human skin model tests such as the validated EpiDerm™ test, which has been accepted almost universally as a total replacement for skin corrosion studies in rabbits.(7)
• The use of human skin leftover from surgical procedures or donated cadavers can be used to measure the rate at which a chemical is able to penetrate the skin.
• The use of a clinical patch test in human volunteers, which can confirm that a chemical will not cause irritation or allergic skin reactions.(8)”

For more information on testing alternatives check out http://stopanimaltests.com/

The even better news is that there are so many companies out there that don’t test on animals and are great products.  They’re even better because most of them use natural, organic ingredients instead of harsh synthetic chemicals.  So not only are they good for us, they are good for the environment and they don’t hurt helpless little animals.  It’s a win win situation!

So what can you do to help?  Number one, be aware of what you buy.  You might have to give up your favorite product.  I really believe it’s time for us to be responsible for our actions.  We can’t blame these companies for doing this if we still buy their products.  Research before you buy.  Yes, it can take time, but with the internet it’s easy to find eco friendly products.  I can promise you that any product that I promote on this site, I’ve researched and made sure that it’s eco friendly and cruelty free.

Boycott the companies listed below in favor of companies that care about you and the environment.  Let those companies that do still animal test know that you’re boycotting them until they find alternative testing.  Write, call, email…But I believe the strongest message is spending your money elsewhere.

For a list of cruelty free companies go to http://search.caringconsumer.com/.  It’s a great website that will tell you everything you need to know about companies testing policies.

A couple of other websites to check out:

http://livingcrueltyfree.com/ and http://peta.org/

Here’s a video that shows you the footage of animal testing.  If you’re a wimp like me you might cry, but it’s something we need to be aware of.
Photo by Esa Oksman

Companies that DO test on animals.
Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625;609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.armhammer.com Bic Corporation, 500 Bic Dr., Milford, CT 06460; 203-783-2000; www.bicworld.com Chesebrough-Ponds(Fabergé, Ponds, Vaseline), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 800-743-8640; www.pondssquad.com                                                                                                  Church & Dwight (Aim, Arm & Hammer, Arrid, Brillo, Close-up, Lady’s Choice, Mentadent, Nair, Orange Glo International, Pearl Drops), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.churchdwight.com Clairol (Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23, Procter & Gamble), 1 Blachley Rd., Stamford, CT 06922; 800-252-4765; www.clairol.com Clorox (ArmorAll, Formula 409, Fresh Step, Glad, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, Soft Scrub, S.O.S., Tilex), 1221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-271-7000; 800-227-1860; www.clorox.com Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Hills Pet Nutrition, Mennen, Palmolive, SoftSoap, Speed Stick), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; 212-310-2000; 800-221-4607; www.colgate.com
Cover Girl (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.covergirl.com
Dial Corporation (Dry Idea, Purex, Renuzit, Right Guard, Soft & Dri), 15101 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 5028, Scottsdale, AZ 85254-2199; 800-528-0849; www.dialcorp.com
Johnson & Johnson (Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rembrandt, ROC), 1 Johnson & Johnson Plz., New Brunswick, NJ 08933; 732-524-0400; 800-526-3967; www.jnj.com
Lever Bros. (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com
L’Oréal U.S.A. (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy), 575 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017;
212-818-1500; www.loreal.com
Max Factor (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.maxfactor.com
Mead, 10 W. Second St., #1, Dayton, OH 45402; 937-495-6323; www.meadweb.com
Melaleuca, 3910 S. Yellowstone Hwy., Idaho Falls, ID 83402-6003; 208-522-0700; www.melaleuca.com
Mennen Co. (Colgate-Palmolive), 191 E. Hanover Ave., Morristown, NJ 07960-3151; 973-631-9000; www.colgate.com
New Dana Perfumes, 470 Oakhill Rd., Crestwood Industrial Park, Mountaintop,
PA 18707; 800-822-8547
Noxell (Procter & Gamble), 11050 York Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2098;
410-785-7300; 800-572-3232; www.pg.com
Olay Co./Oil of Olay (Procter & Gamble), P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201;
800-543-1745; www.oilofolay.com
Oral-B (Procter & Gamble), 600 Clipper Dr., Belmont, CA 94002-4119;
415-598-5000; www.oralb.com
Pantene (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202;
800-945-7768; www.pantene.com
Physique (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-214-8957; www.physique.com
Playtex Products (Banana Boat), 300 Nyala Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880; 203-341-4000; www.playtex.com                                                                                                                                     Procter & Gamble Co. (Clairol, Cover Girl, Crest, Gillette, Giorgio, Iams, Max Factor, Physique, Tide), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com
Reckitt Benckiser (Easy Off, Lysol, Mop & Glo, Old English, Resolve, Spray ’N Wash, Veet, Woolite), 399 Interpace Pkwy., Parsippany, NJ 07054; 973-633-3600; 800-333-3899; www.reckittbenckiser.com
Richardson-Vicks (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com
Schering-Plough (Bain de Soleil, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl’s), 2000 Galloping Hill Rd., Kenilworth, NJ 07033-0530; 800-842-4090; www.sch-plough.com
S.C. Johnson (Drano, Edge, Fantastik, Glade, OFF!, Oust, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Skintimate, Windex, Ziploc), 1525 Howe St., Racine, WI 53403;
800-494-4855; www.scjohnson.com
SoftSoap Enterprises (Colgate-Palmolive), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; 800-221-4607; www.colgate.com
Suave (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260;
800-782-8301; www.suave.com
Unilever (Axe, Dove, Lever Bros., Suave, Sunsilk), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com

Tags: Alternatives To Animal Testing, animal experiments, Animal Test, animal testing, Animal Tests, Birth Defect, Cell Test, companies that do animal testing, cosmetics, Crest Toothpaste, Embryonic Stem Cell, Embryos, Household Items, Human Skin, Loreal, Mascara, Model Tests, Personal Care Products, Photo Irritation, Rabbits, Replacements, stop animal testing, Synthetic Chemicals, Test Examples, Test Methods, Tide Detergent, toxic products, Unnecessary Animal