Just a century ago, health and beauty products were put on the shelves in department stores and beauty salons without being tested for their safety.
It took a horrible incident in the 1920s for federal agencies to realize that someone should be checking products destined for human use. Thousands of women using a new eyelash product in American salons had their eyes burned or became blind because of it. Some deaths were even reported.
It was then, over 80 years ago, that policies were put in place for health and beauty products to be tested on animals. Some tests developed then are still in use today. That includes the Draize test, in which albino rabbits have drops of eye product put in their eyes. These white rabbits, which do not have the natural ability to rid their eyes of irritants, are strapped down and their eyes monitored over a period of several days or weeks.
A similar test for skin is administered to rabbits, along with mice and rats. First, the rodents are shaved down to their tender skin. Then a skin care product is applied to the skin and scientists watch for evidence of irritation.
With products such as hair spray and perfume, an animal is placed in a sealed container and forced to breathe the substance through a mask, then monitored for breathing difficulties.
Animal testing today is becoming less acceptable by the public. A large percentage of health and beauty product manufacturers have stopped animal testing and ensure that all product labels acknowledge that fact.
At the same time, with consumers wary of how safe a product might be, how are manufacturers keeping products safe for people while not harming animals?
Scientifically speaking, many non-animal tests have been developed. Instead of using products and potentially burning the corneas of live rabbits, manufacturers now use donated human corneas to test for results. In laboratories, human skin cultures are developed and used for irritant testing. These type of tests are proving to be more cost effective and give quicker more accurate results that the old methods.
The main non-animal type of tests employed by cosmetic technologies is the Neutral Red Uptake Assay. Using human cells grown in a glass dish, chemicals in health and beauty products are added to the culture. A dye is added to help differentiate between dead and live cells. The results are then analyzed by a computer to determine the risk factor to the human cells. These tests are known as in vitro, which means “in glass.”
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recognizes that animal testing is becoming socially and morally unacceptable. Yet, with priority on human safety, the FDA still insists on animal testing under certain circumstances. However, in conjunction with Animal Welfare, animals are being treated as humanely as possible and are given pain killers to ease any potential discomfort they may endure.
The limited amount of animal testing that remains in place today will soon disappear. It is limited to new chemicals that are yet untested, but primarily for new drug therapies. The thalidomide scare of the 1960s was enough to keep animal testing in place for probably many more decades, until public pressure becomes great enough that animals will be freed from their cages.
Soak your feet in a tub or in a nice warm bucket of soapy water, perhaps while you’re watching TV. http://www.myadvertising1.com/health-care-products/ Tip #5: Discount stores have more free health products samples than they like to admit. If they contain an essential oil, your feet will smell great and feel fresh.
