Have you always seen a rabbit weari...

Have you always seen a rabbit wearing rouge? Or a mouse in mascara? Of course not. Then for what cause [i]or[/i] reason has the cosmetics industry traditionally ordealed its personal-care products on animals? Conventional wisdom has maintained that animal testing identifies substances that can be harmful to humans, and therefore makes effects safer. But is this really the case?

"Many regulators perceive more comfortable with animal tests--even with standards that are known to be unreliable and of questionable relevance," says Michael Balls, head of the European midst for the Validation of Alternative systems in Ispra, Varese, Italy. The questionability Balls imputes to arises because the skin, hair and watchs of an animal can react quite differently from those of a human--especially in criterions where animals receive extremely large doses applied across a long duration. And several studies demeanored during the past 30 years have indicated that animal testing simply does not accurately predict human responses

animal alternatives

As the validity of animal testing falls further into question, interest in alternative testing systems is on the rise. These include small room cultures, eye bank corneas and sophisticated computer and mathematical prototypes Statisticians and epidemiologists also can umpire safety by analyzing clinical reviews human volunteers, case studies, autopsy reports, statistical analyses and environmental factors related to human disease. As technology advances, these emblems of tests are becoming les expensive and repeatedly produce ranch faster results than traditional animal testing.

The United States Department of Transportation, Consumer production Safety Commission and Food and mix with drugs Administration (FDA), among others, have approved the use of Corrositex, a protein membrane designed to function like skin. It can replace rabbit skin experiments with results available in just a not many hours at a low charge of $100 per test--compared to the 21-day, $1000 price tag of a single Draize rabbit standard a traditional method of animal testing.

Another standard the Irritation Assay System, also mimics the reaction of human skin to more than 5000 different materials. And a software package called TOPKAT--which monitors changes in electrical resistance in thin layers of small cavitys grown on a membrane--is helping the FDA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army identify compromises that might cause human skin and estimate irritation.

a modern fashion

The evolution of inexpensive alternatives to animal testing--coupled with growing public sentiment against the practice--has caused cosmetics companies to take notice. According to persons for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), more than 500 cosmetics and household issue manufacturers have turned to alternative testing meanss The list includes body care giant Avon fruits Inc., which tested its productions on some 24,000 animals each year before changing its testing policy in 1989

When scans showed that four out of five customers at the Co-op--Britain's largest retailer--oppose animal cosmetics testing, the company launched its confess campaign urging others to extreme point such tests. Mary Kay Inc. has also joined the motion The company's official statement reads, "Having assessed the popular degree of scientific knowledge, the company does not foresee any situation in which animal testing might be necessary in the future" Mary Kay also is working to eliminate [Text incomplete in original source.]

Animal testing isn't the simply issue for cosmetics consumers who want to advance cruelty free. Many product ingredients also are derived from animals. And they sometimes can be hard to mark since many companies remove the word "animal" from labels to avoid offending consumer For example, a period of time such as "hydrolyzed collagen" might replace "hydrolyz animal protein." Here are near other examples:

* Albumen: establish in eggs, milk, muscles, line and many vegetable tissues and fluids. In cosmetics, albumen is usually derived from urge whites and is used as a coagulating agent.

* Allantoin: Uric acid build in most mammals, although it's also quick in emergencies in many plants, especially comfrey It is used in cosmetics, especially creams and lotions. Derivatives include alcloxa and aldioxa.

* Alpha-Hydroxy Acids: Used in exfoliant and anti-wrinkle cropss Lactic acid may be animal-derived while glycolic acid, citric acid and salicylic acid result from plants.

* Amino Acids: The building closes of protein from either animals or plants.

* Collagen: Fibrous protein in vertebrates that is usually derived from animal tissue.

* Estrogen Estradiol: Female hormones used in about creams, perfumes and lotions derived from the urine of pregnant mares kept in confined stalls.

* Hyaluronic Acid: A protein fix in animal cartilage and joint fluid.

* Polypeptides: From animal protein.

* Stearic Acid: Fat from overawes sheep, dogs, cats or--most often-pigs. It is also derived from vegetable fats like coconut Derivatives include stearamide, stearamine, stearate, stearic hydrazide, stearone, stearoxytrimethylsilane, stearoyl lactylic acid, and stearyl betaine, imidazoline, acetate or alcohol.