You buy care products that the manufacturer has not tested on animals, because they are not tested on animals. Then take another look! Despite such statements, cosmetics are not always free from animal suffering. We looked at the problems with the ban on animal testing and tell you how to find cosmetics without animal testing.est.
Why should I be interested in cruelty-free cosmetics?
Hardly anyone wants to have anything to do with animal experiments: We know the images from animal welfare campaigns and we feel sorry for the monkeys, rabbits and mice that are used for laboratory tests.
We also know that there is animal testing for the manufacture of cosmetic and personal care products. That's why we feel better when we use the shampoos, face creams or soaps that say:
„This product has not been tested on animals.
„We do not conduct any animal tests.
Many cosmetics manufacturers print such information on their packaging and thus attest to a correct attitude towards animals. A reassuring tip for buyers so they don't have to have a guilty conscience.
The fact is, however:
In Germany, cosmetics are not allowed to be tested on animals anyway.
Animal experiments are prohibited in Germany for care and decorative cosmetics. Cosmetics have not been allowed to be tested on animals here since 2004. A sales ban on such products has also been in effect throughout the EU since 2013. Animal testing is even prohibited for the individual ingredients of a cosmetic product..
So everything is fine after all
Not really:
The 3 current problems with the ban on animal testing in cosmetics
The regulations lead to loopholes and are therefore often misleading for consumers: Even if a product has not been tested on animals, it can still be strongly related to animal testing. Animal rights activists are therefore not satisfied with the regulations.
These are the criticisms:
1. The ban only applies to new products
The regulation has existed since spring 2013 and only affects products that have come onto the market since then.
2. The animal experiment ban only applies to certain ingredients
What is an ingredient
This only refers to the substances thatexclusively are used in cosmetics and care products. However, if a substance occurs in other products, it falls under the Chemicals Act and is tested on animals as usual. This is even standard in the EU and applies to many ingredients in cosmetics, including those that are found in cleaning agents and detergents, medicines and paints.
Manufacturers can therefore use ingredients that have been tested on animals without carrying out animal experiments themselves.
3. Exceptions for brands abroad
Manufacturers are still allowed to conduct animal testing when selling their products outside the EU. This gives them more freedom to sell better abroad, for example in China, where animal testing is mandatory to test the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.
Some manufacturers, especially natural cosmetics brands, have therefore withdrawn from the Chinese market..
Are there care products and cosmetics in Germany that are really free from animal testing
We hang on to:
Animal experiments are prohibited in cosmetics in Germany. German companies are still allowed to carry out animal experiments for the foreign market.
And:
We have to critically question manufacturer statements. Claims such as was not tested on animals and we do not conduct animal testing do not exclude anything. Neither that certain ingredients have been tested on animals, nor that third parties have made animal experiments.n.
At first this is sobering.But there is also good news:
In Germany there are manufacturers of cosmetic and care products who take animal welfare really seriously.
How do I recognize care products for which no animal really had to suffer
An easy way to cruelty-free cosmetics is through the List of Peta. Here you will find brands of care and cosmetics providers who meet the high requirements of the animal welfare organization.
Tip: Check out whether Your favorite brand in the list is!
Currently, the official seals are otherwise the most reliable information about whether a product is really cruelty-free and does not contain ingredients that are tested on animals.
The high-quality seals include:
The seal comes from the German Animal Welfare Association and provides guidelines, some of which are stricter than the legal regulations: Here, animal experiments on invertebrates are just as prohibited as raw materials made from them. The manufacturers are also not allowed to belong to a company that otherwise carries out animal testing, commissions it or sells it in countries such as China..
With this seal, companies without exception refrain from animal testing for all ingredients and end products, this also applies to suppliers. However, Leaping Bunny products are not necessarily vegan..
As with the Leaping Bunny, the vegan flower does not have to be tested on animals. In addition, manufacturers do not use any animal ingredients here.
What do you sober of animal experiments ?
Really not much.
Since our foundation, it has been a sober of course for us at sober that we take responsibility for the environment and people, but also for animals. That is why we support the Peta initiative Beauty without Bunnys and can confirm::
sober products are free from animal testing: You can find our name in Peta's list.
It would also be out of the question for us to use loopholes in the ban on animal testing: It is stipulated for us that we will never sell our products in countries that would require animal testing of us.
We see it this way: Good care products do not need to be tested on animals.
#staysober
Philip