The Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing

What do Tide, Dove, Pampers, and Aveeno all have in common? Besides being name-brand products that are staples in almost every household, they are all in the ugly business of strapping animals down, rubbing chemicals on their raw skin, and, at times, dripping these chemicals into their eyes for the purposes of animal testing; some companies will even go so far as to force feed harsh substances down animals’ throats. These animals are kept isolated in barren cages so companies can test their latest cosmetics and household products for consumer use. At the end of all the experiments, the animals are almost always killed. To combat this dangerous practice, more people across the world should start buying cruelty-free products to eliminate the need for harmful testing on animals, to provide

Firstly, it is relatively easy to obtain information about which companies do not use animals for testing. In fact, “many animal welfare organizations… are publishing lists of ‘cruelty-free’ products and many companies are labelling their products as ‘not tested on animals’” (Balls 25). Therefore, discerning between these products is not that difficult for the average consumer. Secondly, the products themselves are just as good, if not better than, comparable products that use animals in their testing and creation processes. In fact, in a scientific review of “The Replacement of Animal Testing: Ethical Issues and Practical Realities,” a study presented at a symposium at the University of Nottingham Medical School, scholars noted that, during a testing of various cosmetic products, the cruelty-free products and the products that used animals passed tests to assess their chemical make-up and quality at a similar rate (Balls 27-28). Therefore, cruelty-free products do not suffer for lack of quality because of the alterative processes they go