Animal Experimentation And The Cosmetic Industry And Medical Professions

This is an annotated bibliography of animal testing and if it’s morally justified. There are many opinions on the results and the entire process that it takes to test a cosmetic product or a medicine on an animal. There are many alternatives and benefits to animal testing but is it really justified? Or are animals in potential danger.

As of 2015, 200 to 225 million animals are said to used in laboratory research for the biomedical industry annually worldwide. Typically defended by arguments of reliability and human health benefits, recently the question of ethics and values placed on animal testing have caused it to become a relevant and pressing topic that has been more widely discussed and debated. First off, the laboratory conditions that are instigated upon millions of animal models for the sake of medical research has been said to be unethical and cruel. Additionally, it has been debated that the results of animal experimentation are unreliable across a wide range of areas. Lastly, animal testing not only leads away from the direction of resources from more effective testing methods but also prolongs the duration of time humans may need to wait for an effective cure. Therefore, the potential benefits of animal experimentation are greatly outweighed by the risks and collective harm of humans and animals which is why resources should be directed towards more human-based testing procedures.

In this paper there are three main topics that are going to be covered. They are alternatives to animal testing, animal testing in cosmetics, and the news in the cosmetic industry related to animal testing. For this paper there were four sources that were evaluated. All of them had a few things in common and through that it was easy to link them together through three different subtopics that will be evaluated later in this paper. The first source that I will be using is “The Science of Dermocosmetics and Its Role in Dermatology”. This article was written by Dreno, B., E. Araviiskaia, E. Berardesca, T. Bieber, J. Hawk, M. Sanchez- Viera, and P. Wolkenstein. The second article that will be effective in this essay is “New

Throughout history, beginning as early as 500 BC, animals have been used to test out products that will later be utilized by humans (“Animal Testing” 4), what isn’t publicly discussed about is the way it will leave the animals after the process is done. Many innocent rabbits, monkeys, mice, and even popular pets such as dogs are harmed during the testing application of cosmetics, medicine, perfumes, and many other consumer products (Donaldson 2). Nevertheless, there are many people whom support the scandal because "it is a legal requirement to carry out animal testing to ensure they are safe and effective” for human benefit (Drayson). The overall question here is should it even be an authorized form of experimentation in the United States, or anywhere else? The fact of the matter is that there are alternatives to remove animals out of the equation for good (“Alternatives to Animal Testing” 1). They are cheaper, and less invasive than the maltreatment of the 26 million innocent animals that are subjected to the heartlessness of testing each year (“Animal Testing” 4). With all things considered, animal testing should be looked upon as animal cruelty due to the harsh effects from the many products tested on the innocent.

Using animals for research is not reliable in predicting the outcome of new chemicals on the human body system. According to American Anti-Vivisection Society, “Nine out of ten drugs that appear promising in animals studies go on to fail in human clinical trials.” That indicates that almost ninety percent of traditional animal experiments fail in human trials. Although humans are similar to animals, they still do not have the exact genetic make up as animals. American Anti-Vivisection Society claims that, “Even the same species have similar differences that can be found among different genders, breeds, ages and weight ranges, and ethnic backgrounds.” For example, humans react to new products differently because nobody is genetically the same. Some people experience the therapeutic effect of a drug and then others may have an allergic reaction to the drug. Even in the human species researchers see that not all drugs or products produce the same ideal results that are expected. If there were such wide variations of results between the same species why would it be logical to test products intended for human use on animals? This is a question that most advocates for alternative methods to animal testing would ask.

Animal experimentation is validated simple by the benefits it has created in both our medical fields and the veterinary field. The advancements over the past century are astonishing. Backed by the weight of scientific literature the case that animal experiments can produce scientifically valid results is clear, strong and sustainable. Protesters opinions on these matters often overlook any of the positives about testing, for instance, cosmetic testing is illegal in the UK, the Netherlands and Belguim. Furthermore, primates only make up 0.001% of animals tested on, and cats and dogs are only 0.5%. Also, laboratories are checked on at least 12 times randomly throughout the year to make sure that the high standards of animal care are being kept (Nuffield Council 39). Animal researchers

Animal testing began after consumer products caused harm to the buyer. In 1930, a mascara called Lash Lure, blinded many women who used it. In 1937, one hundred people died from a new cough syrup called Elixir (Why do companies test cosmetics or other products on animals? 2013). These are two occurrences that pushed people to use animals for testing product safety. Today, the use of animals has expanded into experiments benefiting the medical field. These experimental animal studies are beneficial to the safety of humans, but animals are sacrificed in the process. Animals are usually killed and dissected at the end of the tests to determine the safety or efficacy of a product or drug. Although animal testing has increased the understanding of medical and consumer issues, the ways these discoveries were made are fatal. As a utilitarian, one needs to consider the benefits and harms of animal testing and discover if they find it ethical. A utilitarian usually would not support animal testing because not everyone included is experiencing the best balance of happiness over unhappiness. The issue of animal testing brings up the question of what animal’s rights are.

Between physiology, anatomy, metabolism, and many other factors, there are numerous differences between animals and humans which make it difficult to apply data derived from animal studies to human conditions (“Animal Researching”). The experiments are altered by numerous amounts of factors and the broad amount of differences between humans and animals generates a negative outcome. Also, according to Mike Leavitt, Health and Human Service’s secretary, “Nine out of ten experimental drugs fail in clinical studies because we cannot accurately predict how they will behave in people based on laboratory and animal studies.” (qtd. Animal Researching”). There is not enough knowledge to be able to predict the outcome of an experimental study on the animals, but scientists do have the knowledge and facts to know that the chances of a the results of testing done on animals, and then used on humans may not work. Also, animal models are seldom subjects to some causes, symptoms, or biological mechanisms as their purported human analogues (“Animal Researching”). With that said, the studies can give inadequate and faulty results when attempting to apply to human diseases and drug

The ethical treatment of animal testing is a controversial topic in the field of zoology. Different aspects on animal testing range from positivity to negativity. Animals such as dogs and rats are used for experimental trials because they have been found to have psychological and genetic correlations that relate to humans. Although the benefits and improvements to modern medicine made it possible to ban animal experimentation completely, animals are still the main subjects in cosmetic industries. Something important to keep in mind when it comes to animal experimentation is that, “Most experimentation has nothing to do

Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation is the use of non-human species in experiments that help to control variables that would affect the human body. Most animal testing is conducted within the cosmetic (make-up) industry (“Animals In Scientific Procedures). The moral and ethical principles are subject to debate and many aspects have shifted within the 21st century. Greeks were some of the first individuals that began testing on animals in order to protect human kind (“Animals In Scientific Procedures”). The argument has come to surface that cosmetic animal testing is morally wrong because many experts are harming the lives of these animals because they feel pain and are tortured in the process of these experiments. Many cosmetic brands still perform experiments to better their product, yet they are harming the lives of innocent animals in the process.

The above examples on animal testing is an evidence that the use of animals in scientific research has and is beneficial for the treatment in medications of asthma, diabetes, polio, and several other health disorders, in the human lives. Furthermore, research in medical science with the help of animal testing might also bring cures for AIDS, cancer and other severe diseases (Singer 2013). Uses of animals have no other alternatives because many animals such as rabbits, monkeys or rats have several similarities in physical processes as compared to human bodies. Through animal testing, scientists have been able to test the negative and positive effects of medicines. If a certain medicine is found with negative effects in animals, it is considered unsafe for human lives as well(Christensen, Johnson and Turner 2011).

Through the years, animal experimentation has played a key role in leading to breathtaking discoveries in medicine, products, and cosmetics. However, what many people tend to forget are the numbers of animal subjects that have suffered serious harm during the process of experimentation. Each day across the United States innocent animals are used as test subjects for products that have little to no relevance importance. Animal testing has had many negative issues that accompany it in society. Debating over the animal rights movement has raised many questions and concerns for years. There is an ongoing controversy regarding if companies should stop testing their products on animals. Although animal research has been the cause of many medical breakthroughs, it is considered morally and ethically right to put animals in these kinds of situations. One of the most asked questions in society is: should animal testing be illegal? When considering how truly reliable the results of animal test are, and the expense of testing will help bring new light to the problem. By simply passing a policy will not only address this issue but will help better products and medicine in the future.

Animal testing has long played a part in the science of testing, and it still plays a very important role in the medical world. Testing on animals in order to create a cure for AIDS is one thing, but testing on animals for human vanity is another. Animal testing is used to test the safety of a product. It has kept some very unsafe substances out of the cosmetic world. However, in this day in age, animal testing is not the only way to test the safety of a product. Animal testing in cosmetics has decreased over the years. However, it is still used by many companies in America. Animal testing is not only cruel, but it is also unnecessary in today’s advanced scientific world.

Tests on animals have been around since the 3rd century since the Greeks dissected the bodies of animals to further understand how humans work. Fast forward in time and into the present where a striking number of animals are used for these purposes. In fact, the California Biomedical Association states that basically every medical theory has been accumulated through the experimentation on animals (“Animal Testing”). Animals are used in research when there is a need to find out what happens in the whole, living body, which is far more complex than the sum of its parts. It is difficult, and in most cases, simply not yet possible, to replace the use of living animals in research with alternative methods. Also, Frankie Trull, a science advocate, has explained, “If you’ve even taken antibiotics, had a vaccine, had chemotherapy, an MRI, a blood transfusion, dialysis, an organ transplant then you

No doubt, we all love our products whether it be beauty, medicinal, or cleaning purposes. Of course they satisfy our needs and maybe even go above and beyond and just make the smallest difference or the biggest in our lives by improving or making things easier. Ever wonder how these products go about being made? Probably not. This however is something we should consider paying close attention to. Behind the scenes of our most favorite products is the cruel, silent methods of animal experimentation. What is animal experimentation exactly? Animal experimentation is when animals are used for scientific research. It has played a huge role in biomedical history, but it’s also been one of the most controversial discussions. In most cases, they are used for cosmetic products or medicine. A wide variety of animals are used which include rabbits, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, monkeys, birds, mice, and fish. Several laws have been passed to make this kind of practice more “humane” (Hajar). In today’s time, animal organizations and rights groups have taken this to be one of their main priorities to stop this. Even in the past people have been disturbed by the painful and unnecessary treatment of the animal subjects. Throughout history, animal experimentation occurred in many ancient cultures, mostly for the purpose of testing products for human use.