Information for Consumers

Hundreds of thousands of these animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in outdated product tests for cosmetics, personal care products, household cleaning products, and even fruit juices. Although more than 1,000 companies have banned all animal tests forever, some corporations still force substances into animals’ stomachs and drip chemicals into rabbits’ eyes. These tests are not required by law, and they often produce inaccurate or misleading results—even if a product has blinded an animal, it can still be marketed to you.

Fortunately, scientists have developed sophisticated product tests that are faster, cheaper, and far more accurate than blinding and poisoning tests, which were developed in the 1920s. Human cell cultures and tissue studies (in vitro tests) and artificial human “skin” and “eyes” mimic the body’s natural properties, and a number of computer virtual organs serve as accurate models of human body parts.

Please vow never to buy products from companies that use animals. It’s easy—just check out our lists of companies that do and that don’t test on animals.

And remember to only support compassionate charities when you write that end-of-the-year check! Some health charities ask for donations to help people with diseases and disabilities yet spend the money to bankroll horrific experiments on dogs, rabbits, rats, mice, primates, hamsters, pigs, ferrets, frogs, fish, guinea pigs, sheep, birds, and other animals.

Instead of ravaging animals’ bodies for cures for human diseases, compassionate charities focus their research where the best hope of treatment lies: with humans. They understand that we can improve treatments through up-to-date, non-animal methods, and they fund only non-animal research, leading to real progress in the prevention and treatment of disease.

Use the buttons on the left to search for companies and charities that do and that don’t test on animals. If you have questions about these lists, visit the Caring Consumer FAQs.