CRUELTY FREE COSMETICS
Ricky Gervais is officially a spokesperson for Cruelty Free International, a newly-established worldwide campaign to ban testing cosmetics on animals. Launched by the long-standing British Union Against Vivisection, CFI will work with governments, companies and partner organizations to place animal testing at the forefront of policymakers' agendas.
On the issue, Ricky says: "Animal testing for cosmetics is still allowed in most of the world. That means thousands of animals can continue to die for the sake of a new shampoo. We urgently need a worldwide ban on this cruel and unnecessary suffering. Get involved. Please join me in supporting Cruelty Free International in its global mission to consign animal testing for cosmetics to the history books.”
While the European Union has banned the testing of cosmetics on animals, 80% of countries still allow the practice. Common test procedures include force-feeding large amounts of chemicals to assess toxicity and applying caustic ingredients to eyes and skin to measure irritation (one now infamous mascara test measures how long a chemical ingredient takes to burn away a rabbit's cornea). Rats and mice are the most frequent test subjects, but guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, and dogs are also commonly used. Cosmetics companies are not required to use animals to test for safety and can instead use human skin cultures. Numerous studies, including several published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal have concluded that animal tests do not reliably predict outcomes in humans due to basic biological differences.Consumers can now find cruelty-free cosmetics for every need and at every price point. Some mainstream examples include Revlon, wet n wild, Burt's Bees, Prestige, Bare Minerals, Stila, Urban Decay, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Paul Mitchell and Aveda. Because there is no regulation of "cruelty-free" labeling, be sure to check the label for the BUAV's leaping bunny logo. View a complete list of cruelty-free cosmetics and household cleaning products here.
Learn more about Cruelty Free International and how you can get involved.
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