Consumer goods giant Unilever has placed a ban on all animal testing not required by law for all of their products.
The brand has been added to PETA’s list of companies that are working for regulatory change. It’s a category that recognizes companies that test on animals solely when required by law.
Through one of their major brands Dove, a widely recognized and readily available personal care product brand in the world, they’re trying to end animal testing globally.
Dove put a ban on animal testing anywhere in the world and was added to PETA’s Beauty without Bunnies cruelty-free list.
Unilever is transparent with PETA about which animal tests have been done and why and also works tirelessly to promote the acceptance and development of non-animal methods.
Is this the beginning of the End for Cruelty in Cosmetics?
Unilever owns Dove, Degree, and TRESemme and is the second-largest beauty company in the world and the first among the top 10 in the sector that are active supporters of legislative reforms that will help ban animal testing in cosmetics.
They hope that these new collaborations will speed up the policy changes in cosmetics and contribute to the shared goal to ban animal lab testing in 50 major beauty markets globally by 2023.
According to Chief Research Development Officer at Unilever, animal testing in cosmetics has been prohibited in the EU as of 2013 and they hope that adopting similar bans elsewhere will speed up the alternative approaches and remove requirements for any animal testing worldwide.
Unilever is supportive of Humane Society International’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign that aims to prohibit animal testing in cosmetics globally within five years.
Their support is shown through an ambitious new collaboration that speeds up the regulatory acceptance of innovative, animal-free testing methods to assess consumer safety.
Troy Aeddle, the VP for Research and Toxicology at HSI says that every company will tell you they’re supportive of alternatives to animal testing, but only Unilever was the first of the giants in the beauty industry to really show their support to the complete ban.
Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of animals keep on being used for toxicity tests in cosmetics every year globally. Other brands should also follow suit and join Unilever and the right side of history.
Dove Got Accredited by PETA
Dove, a brand under Unilever’s umbrella, got accredited by PETA. Their cruelty-free status has been given as recognition for their continuous dedication to not conduct animal testing. The cruelty-free logo started appearing on Dove products as of January 2019.
Animal Abuse Is Daily in the World of Cosmetics
Animal tests in the cosmetics sector involve skin and eye irritations. The potential product or ingredient is rubbed onto the shaved skin of the animal or dipped into the eyes of rabbits.
The testing is also done on mice or guinea pigs. These force-feeding studies can last for weeks and months.
The animals experience major distress and pain and side effects like swollen eyes, sore and bleeding skin, blindness, organ damage, bleeding, convulsions, and eventually death.
Sadly, pain relief is rarely administered and at the end of the tests, the animals are often killed by neck-breaking, decapitation, or asphyxiation.
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