834,453 is a pretty large number. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, or the USDA, in the article “Animals Used in Research”  that’s how many animals were used for animal testing in the year 2014.

However, the USDA doesn’t count mice, rats, or other “low order” species that make up 95% of animal testing. This means that the 834,453 animals tested on are only 5% of the total amount. If you do the math, it’s roughly 16.7 million animals total that are used in animal testing. A large chunk of these animals are tested for one thing in particular: cosmetics. Cosmetics play a huge role in daily life and an even larger role in harming animals. Animal testing has decreased significantly over the past few decades, but it isn’t even close to being over. The decrease has slowed rather than making the most favored choice to end it completely.We are stuck around this number for two reasons: where it’s happening and why it’s happening. However, these reasons are no reason to conduct animal testing when there are several alternatives, brands, and groups that are all willing to abolish animal testing where testing still occurs or is favored.

The number one hotspot for animal testing is China. It’s the last country that still requires animal testing. This is because of two reasons, and the strongest is that China has laws set in place. The Humane Society stated in 2014 in article “China Implements Rule Change in First Steps Towards Ending Animal Testing of Cosmetics” that although China previously required all cosmetics to be tested, the law has shifted as more and more people speak out against the abuse. The current law requires any cosmetic product actually sold in China to be tested on animals. However, this law does not apply to products made in China and exported around the world. As some would imagine, tons of cosmetic brands are produced in China because it’s the golden land of mass production. Massive makeup brands such as Mac and parts of Urban Decay want large, consistent numbers of products coming in, which makes China at the top of the list. The second reason animal testing is so common in China for cosmetics is it’s relations with skin. Brands are constantly experimenting with chemicals, trying to create new, more efficient products to keep with today’s demands. To make sure these chemicals will actually improve and not maim or your face, they take it out on the animals through animal testing.

Unless you’re in a white lab jacket with a notebook, the tests performed on animals for cosmetics are widely considered abuse. They inject products underneath an animal's skin, drop it in their eyes, force them to inhale it, and subject them to perform other tortuous tests. PETA says in the article “Cruelty to Animals in Laboratories”  that after the animals are left in pain, the workers often just dump them back in their cage. No pain killers or any medication to ease their suffering. Animals often go blind after failed tests, or even some successful. In videos posted of animal testing the animals often cower in fear from the humans. This fear being constructed into animals minds is absolutely unnecessary with today’s technology. There are several more efficient and human alternatives. The first option is “in vitro”, which is when products are tested on models based off human tissue and cell structure. This is directly related to humans from the simple cell structure but without living beings directly affected, rather than injecting defenseless guinea pigs and waiting for it to grow an antler.  NEAVS, New England Anti-Vivisection Society, listed several more alternatives in the article “Alternatives to Testing” in 2016. This includes computer simulations, noninvasive techniques like MRIs, microdosing (giving humans tiny dosages at a time), and stem cell testing. All of these methods work just as well for not only testing cosmetics on animals, but animal testing as a whole. They are completely effective, as proved by several anti-animal cruelty brands.

Several of these brands exist in the world and aren’t difficult to find. There are even major brands like Lush Cosmetics who are not only against animal testing, but actively working to bring it to a halt. Makeup brands such as Too Faced, Tarte, and Kat Von D don’t test their products with animals, but are actively creating high end products. It’s almost like we don’t need animal testing! PETA’s list of cruelty free brands is miles long, yet animal cruelty is far from over. 16.7 million of these animals are being forced into suffering for absolutely no reason except that they’re cheap to obtain. The fact is that people are taking animals lives in the name of money and beauty is sickening, and the majority of people stand behind that. Organizations are blossoming everywhere, all trying to deliver the final blow to these experimentations. Donations are being made and ads are popping up all in favor of keeping the fur on live animals rather than shaving it to test a new face wash from Neutrogena, a large brand who only is cruelty free for certain products. All of these groups are growing and have made it easy to join the effort.

We all know what PETA is, or at least have heard of it. It’s the organization of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. This is the most well known anti-animal cruelty organizations out there. Their website has lists of several brands to avoid and safe brands, information on animal cruelty, and how to help fight animal cruelty. Other groups such as Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), and Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) are all fantastic organizations who believe in healthy cosmetic testing alternatives as opposed to animal testing. Behind each of these groups are a following of people, just your average Joe's,  ready to abolish the abuse. With the majority of people being opposed to jabbing bunnies with needles or blinding guinea pigs, it shouldn’t be long before animal testing’s ancient columns crumble.

With all of these alternatives, animal testing free cosmetics are just on the horizon, and so are anti-animal testing organizations. 834,453 large animals and 15.8 million low order animals can be saved from needles, broken bones, and damaged eyes with the right amount of people to stop it. Using animals as living rag dolls is still abuse, no matter how snazzy your white lab coat is. The butterfly effect says that one butterfly’s wings can bring forward a tsunami, and one movement towards ending animal testing in the cosmetic industry can shatter the foundation of animal testing as a whole.