California becomes the first State to ban beauty products tested on animals

California has become the first State in the USofA to ban beauty products tested on animals.

The California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, which comes into effect on January 1, 2020, will make it illegal for companies to sell any beauty product in the State if any component has been tested on animals.

Why does this matter?

Let me count the ways.

1. More than 500,000 rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and rats are tortured with chemical burns, poisons, and other unspeakable forms of abuse in US labs every year. And this is only for the cosmetics industry. These numbers do not include the millions of animals sacrificed for medical research.

2. Experiments include killing pregnant animals and testing their foetuses.

3. No, they are not lathering up cute bunnies in a relaxing bubble bath. Or painting a guinea pig with pretty pigments. Typical trials include irritation tests (dripping chemicals into eyes or shaved skin without any pain relief; and toxicity tests (repeated force-feedings to check for cancer and other disease-causing ingredients).

4. If the poor animal is not fortunate enough to die during these tests, it is likely killed by having its neck broken or asphyxiation.

5. There are at least 450 research protocols in existence that can replace animal testing.

6. More than 40 major countries across the world – including Europe, India, and Israel – have already banned animal testing for cosmetics.

7. And animal testing is not even effective. Almost 92% of experimental drugs that have been cleared as safe and effective in animals (including arsenic and hemlock), fail during human trials.

8. China is the worst offender. The Chinese government prohibits the sale of any cosmetic products that have not been tested on animals.

I am sorry if these statistics made you want to throw up. They definitely did it for me.

Yes, this post is not pretty. In fact, far from being pretty it is full of verbal imagery that is shocking, ghastly and not for the faint hearted. That’s because beauty is not always pretty. Often it can be shocking, ghastly and not for the faint hearted.

But much as I love my beauty products, they are not worth a life. If my face mask means that a rabbit has to die a tortuous death then no thank you, I would rather just live with a dull complexion.

So, thank you, California.

One down. 49 to go.

What’s your take? Are you comfortable using beauty products that are tested on animals?