New England Anti-Vivisection Society 333 Washington St., Ste. 850 | Boston, MA

info@neavs.org | 617-523-6020

Animal testing is an outdated and flawed way to determine cosmetics and product safety.

Many companies now use more effective, non-animal methods. Your consumer purchasing power can help end animal testing – an effortless way to help animals, the environment, and yourself!

Why animal tests?To predict safety and effectiveness, testing ingredients and finished products traditionally involved animal use. Yet, science shows animals are too different than us to give accurate results. Non-animal tests provide more reliable and predictive results and safer products.

Is animal testing required?Neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires it. The FDA requires safety and efficacy tests before approving drugs, medical devices, and other products, but they need not be performed on animals.

Why buy cruelty-free products?For the animals: Testing inflicts tremendous pain, suffering, and death. It’s typically performed without anesthesia or pain relief. Dr. Gerhard Zbinden, world-renowned toxicologist, described one test as little more than “a ritual mass execution.” Testing one substance alone can involve hundreds of animals enduring prolonged suffering before death, and can cost millions. If the animals do not die, they are typically killed. The vast majority used are mice and rats who receive no protection under the U.S. Animal Welfare Act.

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neavs.orgto learn more

Common procedures include:

• Forcing animals to swallow or inhale substances, or endure injections, to determine the lethal toxic dose; they suffer convulsions, seizures, and other agonizing effects from being slowly poisoned to death

• Inserting chemicals in the eyes of animals who are immobilized so they cannot rub it out

• Rubbing chemicals into their shaved or abraded skin

• No pain relief is provided in these tests, though they cause ulcers, bleeding, infection, and other painful effects

For the environment: Cruelty-free products are more environmentally friendly, less likely to contain harmful chemicals, and more likely to use natural substances. In addition, animal testing results in millions of carcasses, considered pathogenic or hazardous waste, as well as other contaminated waste such as excrement and bedding.

For your health: Animals are not “little humans” and respond to substances in ways that may or may not predict human response. At best, they give us “guess work” information, which is bad science. Rabbits are used in eye irritancy tests, though their eyes produce fewer tears, cannot easily flush out chemicals, and their corneas are thinner and more easily damaged. Animals can differ from us in their reaction to chemicals. Aspirin, for example, can kill a cat. We use animal tests that have never been validated as measuring what they claim to measure, or predicting what will happen in humans. Most would unlikely meet the requirements. Though dependence on animal tests hinders enforcement of consumer protection laws, federal agencies continue to accept data from them to meet safety requirements.

For public health: Because of expense, inefficiency, and scientific limitations, the majority of chemicals in commercial use have not been tested. According to the Johns Hopkins’ Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, out of “some 100,000 chemicals … only about 5,000 have had significant testing so far.” Switching to non-animal methods would allow more

chemicals to be more effectively and efficiently tested.

What are the alternatives?Companies and a growing number of federal agencies acknowledge the superiority of alternatives. For example, skin corrosivity and irritation is easily measured using human cell and tissue cultures, such as EPISKIN and EpiDerm. Visit neavs.org/alternatives/in-testing to learn more.

How can I know a product is cruelty-free?There are many cruelty-free definitions and labels that can be confusing and sometimes misleading. Some products claiming “not tested on animals” or “cruelty-free” may contract out animal testing to labs or may not monitor testing practices of ingredient suppliers. For that reason, NEAVS and others established the Leaping Bunny verification program – the world’s only internationally recognized cruelty-free certification. The Leaping Bunny logo guarantees animal testing is not part of any phase of product development. Leaping Bunny aims to drive animal testing out of industry practice completely.

The Leaping Bunny Compassionate Shopping Guide includes hundreds of companies – and more are added every year – to help you shop cruelty-free! Visit neavs.org/campaigns/ccic to download the guide or mobile phone app.

Is finding certified products easy?Yes! Not only can you find Leaping Bunny-certified products at many stores and websites, there are specialized sites selling certified products. See neavs.org/campaigns/ccic for details. If your favorite companies are not certified, call and write to urge them to go cruelty-free.

When you choose cruelty-free, you are helping to end animal suffering and environmental pollution, and keeping yourself healthy.

When you shop, look for theLeaping Bunny – the only logo that guarantees 100% free of animal-testing.