Tested on animals?

Are the products you buy tested on animals? Do you know? Do you care?

To be honest, I haven't cared much until recently. But a couple of weeks ago, when I saw again the quantity of nearly similar products in a drug-store, I decided that I will start to choose those that are not tested on animals. And I started investigating.

If you'd like to know, whether your favourite cosmetic company tests its products on animals, check PETA's website - you will find there a regularly updated database of companies that do and that don't test on animals. I was shocked how many well known companies still test on animals - L'Oreal (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy), Johnshon & Johnson (Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rembrandt, ROC), Procter & Gamble, Unilever (Dove), Max Factor... !!!

Be careful. Even if a product is labeled "not tested on animals", you still cannot be sure that it (or its components) was really not tested on animals. In some cases, the final products are not tested on animals, however some of the components are. In other cases, the company simply pays a different company to do the dirty job for them. Also, even if one product is marked "not tested on animals", there can be other products in the company's line that are tested on animals... As you see, you always need to investigate deeper - check the companies' websites, search in the PETA's database,... take advantage of internet.

Most people don't care whether the products they buy were tested on animals or not - I think that this is also due to the fact that they only see the final product and they don't ask what was happening before it appeared in the store. I am sure that if people saw how the animals are tortured, they would think twice what they buy. Unfortunately, many people prefare to stay ignorant. Why? Because it is more comfortable.

Find below a video presented by PETA. It is one of the few videos about animal testing that is "watchable". However, I stongly recommend you to look for more videos, you will start to see things differently...

I'd like to add that is not only cosmetics and household cleaners that are still frequently tested on animals. One of the products you probably even wouldn't suspect to be tested on animals is tea. The company behind Lipton teas has been testing tea on animals, and paying others to test. On the other hand, some companies confirmed that they don't test tea on animals - Honest Tea, Twinings, Stash Tea, Luzianne Tea. You can read more here.

I appologise if my article left you depressed, but I am convinced that it is important that we care about these things. Only if we care and choose carefully what products we buy, we can influence what is happening. Thanks to our choices (not buying products from companies that test on animals), we can push companies to stop testing on animals - this approach is, in my opinion, much more effective than signing petitions or demonstrating in the streets.

Namaste.