Within the last few years, beauty standards have changed drastically and women, especially young women, are conforming to these standards by buying every advertised cosmetic product they can afford. These products include things such as skin creams, nail polish, makeup, and hair products. This brings me to my topic of the growing demand of cosmetics and its impact on animal cruelty. Many brands that are popularized and heavily advertised are not cruelty free, meaning they test on animals. Cosmetic brands pay close attention to their audiences insecurities and their need for new product to mask those insecurities. Due to these new products being developed to meet demand, the cosmetics market is expanding each year. Products have also become more available over the years because of the option to order online and having it delivered to one’s front door step. In our present day, advertisement for new cosmetic products have become prevalent because of societies social media platforms that are constantly in use. I myself am a victim from these advertisements. At the early age of 12 I was exposed to the world of cosmetics through “makeup gurus” on youtube. The standards that were held by these people on youtube were embrained in my mind and led me to feel like I needed more cosmetic products than I really did. This still applies to the youth watching these public figures on YouTube today, while there is a wider range of products, making the issue worse. Youtube and other social media platforms aren’t the only source of exposure, mothers and friends also pressure and criticize young women to meet their definition of beauty, which leads to more sales. Being as young as I was, the thought of animal testing didn’t cross my mind and i’m sure it doesn’t for most people even now.
With the expansion of the cosmetic market, new product always comes with the process of creating them in the lab, which in most cases is a lengthy process. In a lot of these labs, animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs are exposed to the ingredients being used to create these products in order to determine safety. These tests include forcing the animals to consume chemicals and rubbing or dripping the chemicals into their skin. These procedures cause pain and suffering to the animals and they are not given any pain relief. What is even more cruel is the fact that once the lab testing is done, the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking or decapitation. Thus meaning, the more cosmetic products being invented, the more deaths of animals occur. Animal testing is not legally required in the United States, meaning companies have the option to go cruelty free, yet don’t. While some consumers may not care about small animals, most people do and the reason is because it is just plain cruel. Animals can inhibit the same kind if pain and emotion as humans, it just goes by unnoticed and dismissed. Humans laboratory workers look at these animals as part of their job and not as living beings that are suffering. A lot of companies who sell their product in China are required to test on animals by law. These companies are very popular such as Benefit, Clinique, Dior, La Mer, Estée Lauder, Gucci, and even more. Companies who made the choice to be cruelty free are still successful and their are also brands that pride themselves in being natural and cruelty free. Within the next few years it’s possible to make animal testing illegal because it is not necessary or ethical.
Cosmetic Production Growth
The rise in the demand of cosmetics is happening globally and is becoming a huge market. “Global cosmetics market is expected to garner $429.8 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period 2016-2022.” (Rajput, 2016). Since this market includes a variety of products that improve one’s appearance and odor, there’s a mass production of cosmetics being made to meet the consumers demands. There is a considerable improvement in the lifestyles of those who purchase cosmetics and they are finding that that they need more product to try to meet their beauty standards. This is primary met by skin care products, which has become apart of the consumers daily routine, accounting for about 36 percent of the global market. As Nilesh Rajput said “Skin care category is one of the most technically advanced, complex and diverse categories of cosmetics”. Thus meaning there is more time took to test in labs and most likely testing on animals. Skin care has been predicted to remain the most profitable product category, as its market value is projected to have grow by billions of U.S. dollars by 2019.
One of the target group of consumers is an older demographic because of the anti-aging skincare product being produced. It is a highly profitable market due to the societal norms and expectations put on people to appear younger than they really are. More of these products are being produced and advanced because it appeals to the consumer.
However, millenials’ are a huge contributor to the rise in the cosmetics market. As mentioned before, youtubers are used by cosmetic companies as advertisers. Instead of using television and print platforms, cosmetic companies leaning towards using Instagram and YouTube as advertisement. As Julie Creswell mentioned, “Trips to exotic locations that were once reserved for editors from glossy magazines now go to influential social media personalities from all over the world who have thousands or even millions of subscribers hanging on their every post. And brands that once partnered with actresses or models to create a new shade of lipstick or blush are now collaborating with these influencers.” These youtubers have made some cosmetic products or even a whole company flourish.
The growth in technology over the years pairs with the growth of disposable income, providing these influencers with the platform they need. Consumers are treating cosmetics as the new hot product they want to camp out for, but now instead of waiting outside, they’re instead waiting on their phones for the new product to be released. This societal advancement has made it easy for companies to gain revenue and grow in advertisement. Many companies have thrived off being a sole online company.
Testing in Labs
In order for these cosmetic companies to test the safety of the products they’re making, they use animals in order to determine safety to human contact. Most big companies are not concerned with how their product is being made as long as it is being made. Their only concern is with the revenue they will be recieving and how fast they will be able to get their product on the market. The mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other animals, are used as a resource in their production. Many animal experiments use restraining devices, designed to prevent an animal from moving. Some researchers demand immobilization of specific parts of an animal’s body while other protocols involve immobilization of an animal’s entire body. Chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of the animals; repeated oral force-feeding studies lasting weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards, such as cancer or birth defects; and even widely condemned “lethal dose” tests, in which animals are forced to swallow massive amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death.
Amidst these concerns over animal welfare, there are also positive examples within the cosmetics industry that highlight more ethical approaches to product development. Snail mucin, for instance, is a key ingredient in many skincare products known for its regenerative properties, including enhancing moisture and improving skin texture. Importantly, the extraction of snail mucin can be conducted in a cruelty-free manner that does not harm the snails. This practice not only alleviates concerns about animal cruelty but also provides a sustainable model that other cosmetic ingredients could follow. By promoting and supporting such ethical practices, consumers can help drive the industry toward more humane standards in product testing and development.