Every 11 seconds, an animal dies in a German testing lab

What do you look for when you buy new cosmetics?

Do you avoid products packaged in plastic? Do you only buy vegan products? Do you buy natural cosmetics? Do you look out for seals and certificates? Do you look out for cruelty-free cosmetics?

Since 2013, the EU has had a comprehensive ban on animal testing for cosmetics: animal testing may not be carried out for cosmetic products or ingredients, and cosmetics that were tested on animals in third countries may not be sold in the EU.

However, these EU bans only apply to new products and ingredients, while the “old” ones continue to be sold without restriction. The bans also only refer to ingredients that are used exclusively for cosmetic purposes. As soon as an ingredient is also used in other products such as medicines, cleaning products, wall paints, etc., it also falls under, for example, the Medicines Act or the Chemicals Act, which legally require animal testing for approval.

Which animal tests have to be carried out for chemicals such as cosmetic ingredients, and which alternative methods are recognised, is decided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Since cosmetics are by definition intended for external use, cosmetic products and ingredients are typically tested above all for safety on the skin and eyes.

For example, in animal testing, chemicals are either dripped into the eye as a liquid, put into the eye as a powder or sprayed into the eye as a gas on rabbits, without the animal being able to defend itself. The extent of the injury to the eye is then assessed. In the same way, chemicals are applied to or injected into the skin of guinea pigs. With these animal tests, it is always accepted that severe reactions can occur that cause considerable suffering for the animal.

By now, however, there are cruelty-free alternatives that are recognised by the OECD and can demonstrably predict the effect on skin and eyes. For this, three-dimensional models of the cornea in the eye and of the upper layers of human skin are reconstructed, for example, replicating the original in structure and function.
Since these alternative methods are models made from human cells, the results are more transferable and can more reliably assess the safety for human health.

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What can you do if you only want to buy cosmetics that aren't tested on animals?
Look out for the PETA certificate, for example:
PETA only adds pet food manufacturers with clear policies against animal testing to its positive list. These are companies whose corporate policy takes a clear stance against animal testing and which thereby help to avoid animal suffering and to abolish it completely in the future. Just like with our cosmetics list, they confirm this to PETA in writing – only then are they added to the positive list. By now, many companies address the question of animal testing on their website or in response to enquiries from consumers. Their answers often have to be read very carefully to understand what's really behind them.

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Our products carry the “PETA Approved Global Animal Testing Policy” certificate, because we don't carry out (or commission) any animal testing for our products. That isn't necessary either, since we only use natural ingredients. Our vegan products additionally carry the “PETA Vegan Approved Global Animal Testing Policy” certificate.

If you'd like to dig deeper into the topic:

Article in ZEIT CAMPUS