The truth about animal testing

Like 99% of the population, I'm against animal testing. If someone came up to me in the street and asked me what I thought about testing cosmetics and household products by rubbing them in bunnies eyes, I’d vehemently state I am completely against such a barbaric act and sign any petition waved in front of me as quick as a flash. You’d probably do the same. But do our actions actually support animal testing? What about when you’re in Boots or Tesco looking for a lipstick or a washing liquid - how much do you know about the origins of the products you’re buying? If you’re honest, it’s probably very little. But the fact is, if we buy a product that has been tested on animals we are supporting it happening.If you thought that the testing of cosmetics on animals is now banned, I’m afraid you’re wrong. The testing of a finished cosmetic product is banned in the UK and across the whole of the EU, but there is no such ban in the rest of the world. So American cosmetic companies, for example, can test away to their hearts’ content.What about the testing of cosmetic ingredients? This was banned in the UK in 1998. However, no such ban exists outside the UK. The truth is that cosmetic ingredients that have been tested on animals outside the UK can then be used on products made inside the UK. Another scary fact is that although this ban on testing cosmetics exists in the UK, no such ban applies to testing household products on animals - a very common practice. So animal testing on products we bring into our home is still being practiced in the UK.As an animal lover and an ethical person, you may make an effort to buy cruelty free products. That’s your contribution to animal testing finished, right? Well that’s what I thought I was doing - but here’s how I got caught out. A company can quite legally state that its products are “against animal testing” if it does not test the end product on animals. However, every single ingredient it contains may well have been tested on rabbits, guinea pigs rats or mice. It’s a major loophole that is exploited again and again by major corporations.Given this information, how can you seek out true cruelty-free products or trust what companies state? It’s not easy, as the likes of Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and L’Oreal are just a few of the many organisations that produce hundreds of brands that contain ingredients tested on animals. But there is one organisation that can help, the animal welfare charity, Naturewatch. Naturewatch produces a fantastic Compassionate Shopping Guide that lists hundreds of cosmetic and household brands and tells you in an instant whether they truly are cruelty-free.Naturewatch only endorses companies that employ a Fixed Cut Off Date policy, meaning they have committed not to use any newly-developed ingredients that have been subject to animal testing after a specific date, and insist that their suppliers do the same. I believe that such companies should be praised and supported as they forego the competitive advantage that might be gained from using newly developed products, swapping profit for a social conscience. Companies such as Lush, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, King of Shaves and Botanicals.I’m now on a mission to swap my cosmetics and household cleaners to cruelty-free alternatives. And I’d like your help. Over the next month or two I’m going to be trialling products from Naturewatch-endorsed companies to find the best soaps, moisturisers, cleansers and detergents and I’ll let you know how I get on. But in the meantime, I would dearly love to hear from you about your own experiences. Why not visit the Naturewatch website and get your own Compassionate Shopping Guide? Please comment below - if we do this together, we can really make a difference…

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