Caring Consumer

Ever wondered if your shampoo has blinded a rabbit? Not many consumers are aware that multi-national cosmetic giants outsource grotesque animal torture to India because it’s less expensive here. Gandhi would’ve been repulsed, and so will anyone who learns what ‘testing’ involves.

Sample this eye-irritancy test for shampoo: “Laboratories use albino rabbits because they have large, sensitive eyes. Their eyelids are held open with clips while workers drip chemicals into their eyes. The rabbits are usually not given any pain killers - some rabbits break their backs as they struggle to escape the pain.

After placing the chemical in the rabbits’ eyes for the Draize test*, the testers write down the damage it causes, which includes swelling, burning, blistering, and blindness”. Glossy commercials for shinier hair or softer lips wouldn’t dare tell their consumers about the horror that takes place behind the scenes.

What’s the alternative?

“Alternatives to animal testing include cell cultures (just a collection of tiny cells, not a whole animal). They’re cheaper and produce faster, more accurate results than animal tests, which means they’re safer for people too. Companies can also use ingredients or combinations of ingredients that have already been proven harmless, or use natural ingredients,” says PETA.
Look for the rabbit Check the labels of all cosmetics and detergents you buy – some will have a ‘rabbit’ sign that says ‘not tested on animals’. Some cruelty-free companies are yet to adopt the ‘rabbit’ symbol.

*The Draize Test is an acute toxicity test devised in 1944 by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) toxicologist John H. Draize. Initially used for testing cosmetics, the procedure involves applying 0.5mL or 0.5g of a test substance to the eye or skin of a restrained, conscious animal, and leaving it for four hours.The animals are observed for up to 14 days, for signs of erythema and edema in the skin test, and redness, swelling, discharge, ulceration, hemorrhaging, cloudiness, or blindness in the tested eye. The test subject is commonly an albino rabbit, though other species are used too, including dogs.The animals are killed after testing.
Some companies that do test on Animals
Axe (Unilever)

Clean & Clear (Johnson & Johnson)
Cover Girl

Close-up (Church & Dwight)
Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Dove (Unilever)

Garnier (L'Oreal)

Gillette Co.(Procter & Gamble)

Head & Shoulders (Procter & Gamble)

Johnson & Johnson
L'Oreal USA
Lakme(Hindustan lever )

Lancôme (L'Oreal)
Listerine (Johnson & Johnson)

Lubriderm (Johnson & Johnson)

Lux (Unilever)

Max Factor (Procter & Gamble)

Maybelline (L'Oreal)

Neutrogena (Johnson & Johnson)
Olay (Procter & Gamble)
Old Spice (Procter & Gamble)
Palmolive (Colgate-Palmolive Co.)

Pampers (Procter & Gamble)

Pantene (Procter & Gamble)

Ponds (Unilever)

Procter & Gamble

Sunsilk (Unilever)

Tide (Procter & Gamble)

Unilever Vaseline (Unilever)

Veet (Reckitt Benckiser)

Wet Ones (Playtex Products)
Some Companies that do not test on animals

Estee lauder
Oriflame
Revlon
Himalayas
Bodyshop
Foreverliving products
Lotus Herbals Ltd.
Biotique
Fabindia

Nike (deodrant) etc
Himalaya Products are cool :
I find the himalaya products really good , also we need not feel guilty about hurting animals for our personal care products. All their products are great, be it cosmetics,soaps, shampoos , toothpastes.. etc
Check out what the Himalays say about animal testing. I got it from their website.
Against Animal Testing:

Himalaya opposes animal testing. Cosmetic products should never be tested on animals. There is no way to justify pain for profit. The notion that a cream or lotion which makes us look and feel good, has been developed by testing on animals is sad and in this day of scientific progress, absolutely unacceptable. None of our cosmetic products are tested on animals and they never will be.We Respect Life. All life.
Isnt that a cool company ? They also follow some practices that are good for the environment and also support local communities. Check out the details, if you are interested at :
http://hgh.com.ky/about/whatwestandfor.htm
Sites to visit :

Check out www.caringconsumer.com for an exhaustive list of companies that do and don’t test (in downloadable pdf format).

You can also visit http://breakshearts.peta2.com/ , http://www.petakids.com/testing2.html

Beauty without cruelty India - http://www.bwcindia.org/
-Sandhya
(A part of this post is taken from an article published in the Ergo)