Essay Sample on Animal Testing

How many cosmetic or self-care products do you own? The average person owns 35 products, is that close to your number? Well, only 4 products out of the 35 the average person may own are animal cruelty-free. Why are animals being tortured and killed in awful ways just for us to have our hair a certain color or make our face look a certain way? Government officials should create laws to ban animal testing in cosmetics throughout the world as animals are being tortured daily for products to satisfy humans.

About a year ago, I thought animal testing was putting mascara on bunnies and painting their fingernails so companies could see if it would work for humans, and I never thought anything about it. Well, then I learned the hard truth one day. I learned that 115 million animals were being tortured and most likely killed for our hair to look a certain way or for our lips to be a particular color every year worldwide. Chemicals were being forced down animals’ throats, dripped into their eyes, smeared on their skin, etc. This often leaves the animal mentally and physically impaired. They are scared and frightened, not knowing what will happen to them next. Typically the animals then continue to get experimented on or they get murdered. In the United States alone, 500,000 animals die from animal testing for cosmetics yearly. Animals aren’t here on Earth for them to be tormented just for humans. For our own benefit, we torture animals and then afterward kill them in ways unimaginable. For instance, the Humane Society wrote, “At the end of some tests, the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking or decapitation.” Not only do the animals have to live through those terrible conditions and experiments, after being tested on they get discarded with no regard for the animal and their well-being.  

Even though many companies still use this unethical testing method for their products, there are over 1000 companies that don’t and still provide safe well-known products used around the globe. For instance, Lush, Dove, TRESemme, Suave, St Ives, etc. all make harmless popular products. Humane Society wrote, “There are also multiple new modern testing methods like human cell-based testing and sophisticated computer models that are often faster, less expensive, and more reliable.” With thousands of ingredients that already have a history of safe usage and other testing methods that are more reliable and faster, why do we continue to torment innocent animals? In addition, a grown man or woman is not the same as a mouse, rabbit, or guinea pig.  The average weight of a mouse is .68 oz and the average weight of a grown man is 197.9 pounds. So why are mice who weigh 4,700 times less than the average grown man being tested on for products just for humans? Mice typically undergo week-long worth of testing, and during that time they are forcibly given doses of chemical substances repeatedly. While, with a human cell-based test, they uncover biochemical pathways that are responsible for cosmetic compound effects. Which could include, cell health, oxidative or chemical stress, energy metabolism, epigenetics, or cell signaling pathways.  Cell-based tests have better or all the same results as animal testing but with none of the killing and torturing of a living animal. Although we have other options to avoid animal testing for cosmetics, we choose not to use them even though they typically have better outcomes than most animal tests. Furthermore, all of the European Union, over 40 countries, and eight states including Illinois and California have all banned animal testing products to be sold and performed in their countries for cosmetic purposes. If states, countries, and even continents can go without animal testing, why can’t the whole world become animal testing free? 

Government officials should create laws to ban animal testing in cosmetics throughout the world as animals are being tortured daily for products to satisfy humans. Animal testing is cruel and unnecessary with several other better options all that don’t injure innocent animals. With the help from government officials  and organizations like The Humane Society, we can end animal testing for good.