Cruelty-Free Products and Charities

FACTSHEET

Public objection to testing of cosmetics and household products on animals has led many companies to pledge they no longer conduct animal experiments. However, such claims are often misleading. No laws mandate animal tests for finished cosmetics and household products, but regulations require such tests for virtually any new ingredient. Responsible and ethical companies use the thousands of ingredients already approved for use, and refrain from incorporating any new ingredients that, by law, would have to be tested on animals. But other companies use new ingredients even though these are almost certainly tested on animals. They can then claim they don't conduct animal tests — although their suppliers conduct such tests.

Many animal protection groups publish lists of cosmetics and household product companies that do and do not test on animals. Some of these groups refer only to tests of finished products, others take into consideration also ingredient testing. A consumer guide based on stringent principles is offered by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV).

Charities such as the Israeli Cancer Society also fund animal experiments. Despite the fact that such charities are dependent on public donations, they don't hesitate to invest this money in questionable and unethical experiments on live animals. In the UK and in the U.S., campaigns to encourage the public to donate only to animal-friendly charities have been initiated. In Israel, however, the public is unaware of the fact that its money is used by some charities to fund animal experiments.