Some large companies test their products on animals before delivering them to human markets. This is especially true of cosmetics companies as they begin trials of new product combinations to see if they are safe for human use. Here are the Big Five cosmetic companies who test their products on animals before you put them on your face and body, with some help from a list on Caring Consumer.
Many cosmetics companies have gone away from animal testing since the European Union's ban on testing ingredients for cosmetics on animals went into effect in March of 2009. L'Oreal was one of the first to finally claim they have stopped animal testing, thanks in part to the EU's ban.
Arm & Hammer is famous for their lines of deodorant, toothpastes, and baking soda in general. The famous arm with a sledgehammer logo can be found on many beauty products and in cleaners. Ironically, or maybe even cruelly beyond inhumane, Arm & Hammer products can be found in pet products such as cat litter and puppy pads.
Johnson & Johnson owns the brands Neutrogena and Aveeno, two very popular brands of cosmetics, lotions, and cleansers. As part of their PR work, Johnson & Johnson has delivered a PDF file explaining their need to do animal testing in vitro to ensure that baby products are indeed safe for humans. Johnson & Johnson says they use the fewest animals as possible when developing their products as being safe.
Procter and Gamble, owners of such brands and Clairol and Olay, use small mammals in testing some of their products. Procter and Gamble has ended its use of dogs and cats as test subjects for animal products, but continues to use smaller mammals such as rats, mice, and rabbits for testing of eye irritancy according to Through a Green Lens. Procter and Gamble does have this statement on their website saying that they are committed to ending animal research entirely.
Unilever owns Suave and Dove skin and beauty care lines. Although the company has reduced the need for most animal testing, there is still a need to eliminate it totally from the company. According to their website, animal testing is the exception and not the norm when it comes to verifying that their products are safe for humans.
Schering-Plough is the parent company of the brand Coppertone and their animal testing is used extensively in their testing of pharmaceuticals. PETA and Schering-Plough have not seen each other in the best of lights in the past, but PETA withdrew some objections to their standards after Schering-Plough agreed (and was forced) by the SEC to include some of its animal testing resolutions in its company literature.
