In spite of world-wide condemnation, major companies continue to carry out sadistic animal testing for the production of make-up.
In China, animal testing for some cosmetics is mandatory, including force-feeding studies, skin and eye irritation tests, and lethal dose tests. There is no consideration for the cruelty inflicted on animals in doing this. Most of the test animals will never live to see the outside world again, and many of them succumb to their injuries.
After the United States, the Chinese beauty market is the second largest, and according to Business Wire, it is valued at an estimated ¥407.8 billion ($3 billion).
David Barritt, executive director of international charity Network for Animals (NFA) says the scale of the abuse is staggering. “Countless thousands of animals undergo unnecessary torture ever day so humans can apply make-up. There is no need for this because companies like The Body Shop, Covergirl and Dove do not test on animals.
“This makes one wonder about the ethics of the companies that do carry out tests on animals including Revlon, Clinique, Maybelline, Shiseido, Max Factor, Bourjois, Christian Dior, Avon, and L’Oreal,” he said.
“These companies do not seem to care about cruelty; all they care about is profits. We appeal to the public to stop using products from companies that conduct animal testing. With the help of the public, we can help mitigate this appalling practice.”
“No animal deserves to be poked and tortured in laboratories 24/7 for any reason, but when it is patently pointless and only done to placate a Chinese government that demands human testing it is sickening. It’s disgusting and has no place in our society,” said Barritt. “We believe animal testing should be banned worldwide as it is extremely cruel and inhumane.”
