The graphic above shows which cruelty free symbols are credible and which are fake. Oftentimes, brands lie about whether or not they test their products on animals. This is bad because cosmetic testing hurts animals.(Graphic illustration by Graysen Gregory.)

Have you ever seen a bunny symbol on the packaging of your cosmetic products? This image signifies that the product was not tested on animals. Some brands go as far as putting fake logos on their products, so being aware of what is fake is important. You might be wondering why this matters, but this small distinction is part of a larger issue in the beauty industry today.

Many popular brands, including Mac Cosmetics, Benefit Cosmetics and L’Oréal Paris, test their products on animals, including rabbits, mice and birds. This can hurt the animal physically and mentally and can eventually cause death. 

According to Sentient Media, over 500,000 animals die from cosmetic product testing each year — a horrifying statistic. The main reason for these deaths is the physical pain; it can often be unbearable to animals to have lethal doses of chemicals dripped into their eyes, rubbed into their skin and force-fed to them. Most of these creatures are not protected under the Animal Welfare Act, according to Humane World for Animals. They often face additional mental problems because they are locked in tiny cages and undergo traumatic experiences throughout their lives. These animals are bred for testing, so the only world they have ever known is a desolate cage, causing stress, fear and loneliness. 

The harmful, unethical nature of animal testing is not the only reason why it is unnecessary — it can also be very unreliable. Animals like mice and rabbits are very different from humans, so they may respond differently to products than humans do. Reactions could even vary between two similar species, like mice and rats. Data can also be unreliable for predicting long-term effects like cancer and allergic reactions.

Carcinogenicity tests, which use 400 animals per test and check whether or not the ingredient causes cancer, are only accurate 42% of the time, according to Cruelty Free International. Additionally, Sentient Media reports that tests on the skin of guinea pigs only predict human allergic reactions 72% of the time. Along with the difficulty of even interpreting these tests, do you still trust animal-tested brands? 

The Leaping Bunny logo is extremely important, signaling the brand uses more ethical, effective ways to test their cosmetic products. One of these is organ-on-chip technology, which involves very small tissues grown within microfluidic chips. Essentially, the technology can precisely replicate the functions of human organs and is “more accurate and cost-effective” than animal testing, according to Sentient Media. 

Another effective way to test cosmetics is by using computer modeling to assess the harmful effects of chemicals on the body. The computers use data from similar chemical substances to anticipate if the new product will cause any harm.

On the legal side, there have been many efforts to stop product testing on animals. Many countries, including – the European Union, India, Israel, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan– have banned or restricted animal testing. Sadly, the U.S. is not on the list of countries that have banned cosmetic testing. This needs to change. 

A federal law in the U.S. that attempted to regulate animal testing is the Animal Welfare Act, which addresses the care of animals at research facilities. It is the only federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, teaching, testing, exhibition, transport and by dealers. However, the law provides minimal protection to certain species and no protection to others, according to the Animal Defence Legal Fund. 

The Humane Society International Global made powerful impacts in the film sphere with their 2021 short film “Save Ralph” about a rabbit that has endured animal testing.  As Ralph is voiced by Oscar-winning actress Taika Waititi, the film gained international popularity, spreading awareness about the terrors of animal testing and driving global campaigns to ban it.

Take into consideration how many animals are terrorized by cosmetic testing despite the more reliable and cost-effective ways available to test cosmetic products. By taking the second to check the label, make sure its real, and buy from cruelty-free brands, you will be saving many innocent animals’ lives. There’s a real cost of your beauty: It’s measured in the deaths of thousands of innocent creatures.