Fiorella Bloise

Juan Lorences
Fabiana Taroni
Date (01/07/2016)
The Ugly Side of The Beauty: Animals Used for Cosmetics Purposes
Introduction
Each year, a lot of animals experience pain as a consequence of scientific
research addressed to cosmetic industry; makeup, body creams, shampoos and others.
For some societies, animal experimentation has been ethically justified in
cosmetics/beauty products industries in order to prevent humans skin issues (such as
allergies, eye irritation) and thus, offer them good and quality-like products, by
imposing an efficient service. While a lot of people think animal testing as something
indispensable, others disagree with this because they see it as an unnecessary pain.
Therefore, it is important to discuss the alarming effects (positives and negatives
aspects) on this field.
In Favor of Animals Testing For Cosmetics/Beauty Products
1. Aids research
One of the main reasons researches test beauty products on animals is to avoid
any type of harm to humans. As cosmetics involve a number of mixtures of chemicals,
researchers need to prevent possible damage and/or dramatic changes into the skin that
could affect humans life completely. Animals undergoing experimentation allows
researches be aware of chemicals risks on skin, to modify errors and therefore, to take
prevention. Thus, animal testing on beauty products should offer safety to the consumer
the best possible goods and services.
2. Improves our health
Scientists have argued that animal experimentation is an important and
necessary part of the procedure, so they recommend it extensively before releasing the
products to the public. The process summarizes their aim to protect humans health;
therefore, testing cosmetics in animals prevent people to be exposed to any harmful
chemicals or toxins, by decreasing health risks for the consumer. Inversely, cosmetics
will not be healthily accessible because people would be exposed to potentially harmful
products.
3. Animals are a close match
Differences between animals and humans are known, however both species
share a common biological composition where scientists can use them as a viable test
subject to see how the cosmetic products will work on a human. This means that the
argument which support the idea to test cosmetics on animals is sufficient enough to
have an overview of humans behavior. Although there are certain inherent limitation,
advanced medical technology agree on animal testing as the best method until now.
Against Animals Testing For Cosmetics/Beauty Products
1. Humans share with animals the same right to grow and reproduce
It causes pain. Animal testing nowadays it is not only used in the medical
industry but also in the cosmetic industry, which could be used on human instead.
Animals are exposed to really harmful situations that will make the animal experience
suffering and distress. We, as humans, are more developed than animals, but we do not
have the right to treat them like they are useless. They belong to the earth as well as us,
we do not have the right to kill them, and we dont even know how it is going to react.
Animal bodies are different than human bodies, so it is a waste of time to try on so
many animals if we never try on a human, but as an egocentric society we only think by
ourselves and our needs, believing we are more superior to them.
2. Animals are unfairly mistreated
For doing animal testing it is necessary to have animals, therefore they lock up
animals creating fear and stress on them leading to influence in the results of the
experiment. Animals pull out their hair, bite their own skin, and after all they still are
killed, so there is no point on using them if the results are not accurate because an
external factor it is influencing them.
3. Alternatives to replace animal testing technique
Technology in 2016 is way too advanced, science have even developed things
we thought would never be possible to exist. There is other many ways that scientists
can get results of their experiments without using animals. Models of human and animal
organs are starting to be created and further it can replace the animals they use for the
researches, as well as the human skin models, or grown human cells. There are others
ways to do this, so it is unacceptable to keep doing animal testing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the benefits of animal testing do not outweigh the consequences
that the animals have to pass through during experimentation, so we can say that animal
testing should be banned, even though it can help and improve the humans live, it is
not ethically justified to do it because animals do not deserve to suffer in order to follow
scientific achievements and to find good results. We are as much as important as
animals, otherwise, animals wouldnt exist. We both belong to the same natural
environment and we are same creatures of the nature, deserving truly to exist.
Sources:
ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMICS BLOG (APECSEC.org, 2014). Animal Testing On
Cosmetics Pros and Cons. Published on March 3, 2015. Retrieved from
http://apecsec.org/animal-testing-on-cosmetics-pros-and-cons/

WriteFix. Animal Testing 1: Should animals be used in testing new drugs and
procedures?. Retrieved from http://writefix.com/?page_id=1532

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Top Five Reasons to Stop Animal
Testing. Published on May 11, 2011. Retrieved from
http://www.peta.org/blog/top-five-reasons-stop-animal-testing/