Organic cosmetics without animal experiments
Bring the agony to an end
"Cosmetic products including their components or combinations of components may not be sold if they (…) have been tested using animal experiments." This is what the German cosmetics regulation says and in a similar form, it is set forth in the EU guideline. This sounds nice, but it is only half the truth. There are exceptions, transition periods and judicial loopholes. According to animal protection associations, the result is that 30,000 animals die and suffer for cosmetics tests in the EU each year. Rabbits get drops in their eyes during a Draize test in order to check the irritation of the mucous membrane or rats have to eat active substances during an LD 50 toxicity test until they die.
Animal experiments up until 2013
 Since 2004, the EU has prohibited the sale of cosmetics that have been completely tested with animals. Animal experiments are permitted for individual active substances and cosmetics imports from outside the EU until March 2009, and some of them even until 2013. Only if there are alternatives will there be a total ban. However, up until now, the EU has accepted only a few of the alternative methods that have been developed over the past years. Therefore, animal conservationists fear that the EU will further prolong the time periods.
Apart from these exceptions, the ban of animal experiments has another gap: chemicals like surfactants or preservatives that are also implemented in other products go through the standard security tests including animal experiments.
Ethics in personal hygiene
Producers of organic cosmetics have rejected animal experiments for their products right from the beginning. Applying Calendula cream to the eyes of rabbits contradicted all ethical measures they had believed in. Almost all organic cosmetics companies are members of the industry association of BDIH. Its criteria for the "Kontrollierte Naturkosmetik" ("Controlled organic cosmetics") say: "Animal experiments are neither carried out nor commissioned in the production, development or testing of the final products. Raw materials that had not been on the market before January 1, 1988, may only be used if they have not been tested in animal experiments.”
Security for humans and animals
This key day ensures that newly developed substances will only be filled into the jar if no animals had to suffer for the cause. After all, security can be tested in the test tube and on humans. When it comes to old active substances, it cannot be ruled out that the respective producer has not tested these with animals. As early as in the 80s, there was the logo of the rabbit with a protecting hand above it. The international producer association in the cosmetics industry (IHTK) awards it against animal experiments, and it is checked by Deutscher Tierschutzbund (German Association for Protection of Animals). The key day in this case for raw materials free from animal experiments was January 1, 1979. All active substances newly accepted afterwards are excluded. The Animal Protection Association also prohibits ingredients of dead animals. The BDIH restricts this to vertebrates. It accepts substances made from dead insects, such as the red colouring of Carmin from Cochenille lice or silk for the extraction of which we need to kill butterfly caterpillars. The label of the controlling organisation Ecocert can be found on some organic cosmetics. It prohibits animal experiments on the final product – as does the law. The health food shop association of Neuform excludes ingredients of dead animals and prohibits animal experiments being carried out or commissioned. However, there is no key date regulation and no ban on animal experiments for individual raw materials. The rule of thumb for all logos says that the logos cannot guarantee whether some third party is carrying out animal experiments – without the intervention of the manufacturer – with one of the active substances involved. Accordingly, doctors have killed hundreds of mice and rats in the past years to find out whether and how Aloe vera can help in terms of burns or diabetes.
A massacre looming
 REACH, the new regulation for chemicals in the EU, intends to examine all substances traded in certain amounts for their toxicity and threat. Animal protection organisations fear that between 30 and 45 million animals will be killed to achieve this result. EU officials think that the results of animal experiments can be transferred to humans. Animal conservationists consider this a big lie. They demand a REACH without animal experiments.More information at: www.vierpfoten.de. Click on campaigns and laboratory animals.
The republic of animal experiments
The most recent animal protection report shows: each year, more than two million animals die in laboratories, 800,000 of them in basic research and 800,000 in the laboratories of the pharmaceutical industry. 1 million mice, 500,000 rats, 100,000 rabbits, 5,000 dogs and almost 2,000 monkeys are the chief sufferers.
Leo Frühschütz
Schrot&Korn
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