The Dark Side of Beauty Industry: Animal Testing

They say, "There are always two sides to every story" and this is exactly what happens in the current beauty industry right now. The existence of social media along with the trend of 'Beautyfluencer' making the beauty industry has become one of the top markets in the world. From international to local industry, both are racing to create the newest and most unique product there are. But, have you wondered, how can they create such a product? How can they prove that the product is 'safe' to use?

Well, this is where the term 'animal testing' comes into the story. Animal testing is a process which involves an unfinished product with certain chemicals being tested on animals, such as rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, and many more. In order to launch a product that is 'safe', industry would test the prototype into an animal and observe it before moving on into mass production.

If the definition of 'animal testing' does not sound horrifying enough, maybe you should take a look at this data. According to data from Humane Society International, there are still a few countries that ban animal testing practice. Many states in North and South America are still developing the regulation on that matter. Sadly, in Asia, the practice is still very common and there is no record of the government talking about it.

Source: Humane Society International

                                                     
Animal testing is such an inhumane and cruel practice. Imagine that everyday, there are millions of animals being tested and killed, only to produce one single beauty product at the end of the day. It is also a bad science practice because the human body and skin are very much different from animals. So if it's 'safe' for the rabbits, mice, or guinea pigs, it is not necessarily safe for humans.

These are the signs to stop animal testing now, not tomorrow, next year, or even in 30 years. It has to be done now. We can start by only purchasing and using brands that claim 'cruelty free', which means that they don't practice animal testing in creation of their products. Second, We can start conversations and awareness in social media. Lastly, there are many petitions online that really need our voice in order to create a bright future for the animal, the beauty industry, and the world.