Sacred animal – or simply a consumer object for human use?
Green Shinto is an enthusiastic supporter of animal rights, though surprisingly this sometimes proves controversial. One aspect that surely defies controversy is animal testing for cosmetics, which has been shown to be totally unnecessary. That innocent creatures should be tortured, mutilated and killed in pursuit of vanity and the beauty industry is a sorry indictment of what it means to be a human being in the twenty-first century.
Animals can find harmony with each other. Why can't we?
The Humane Society International has recently run a campaign to work towards ending the suffering of the more than 100 million animals in laboratories around the world. Despite the existence of alternative methods, animal testing for cosmetics is still legal in the vast majority of countries and in China alone an estimated 300,000 animals die each year.
Artificial human tissue grown in the lab has proved better than tests on rabbits in predicting skin irritation in people. A modern test tube method can distinguish toxic from non-toxic cosmetic ingredients without cruel animal-poisoning experiments. Europe, the world’s largest cosmetic market, and Israel have already banned animal testing for cosmetics and the sale of newly animal-tested beauty products.
In most countries, animal testing is neither required nor prohibited for ordinary cosmetics like makeup and shampoo. But some countries designate products such as sunscreens, hair dyes, and toothpaste as “medicated” cosmetics or pharmaceutical drugs, which can mean mandatory animal testing.
There are now more than 500 companies which produce cruelty-free beauty products. These companies don’t conduct or commission new animal testing; they only use new ingredients which are certified safe without animal testing; and they don’t sell cosmetics in countries requiring animal testing. Green Shinto’s message to those supportive of animist and nature religions: please support such companies and speak out against those which continue to use animal testing.
To sign a petition or donate to the Humane Society International, please click here.
A white cockerel at Ise Jingu, lucky to be free range and not battery
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