Test Inaccuracy

The purpose for testing cosmetics on animals is to measure the levels of skin irritancy, eye tissue damage, and toxicity which can be caused by various cosmetic products. Through a variety of testing methods, animals are made to endure pain in order for manufacturers to understand what products are safe for public sale. The truth about this type of testing in animals is that although the testing is meant to find safe means for cosmetic products, many of these tests are innacurate. Some of the tests performed on animals such as the LD tests which are meant to measure toxicity in a certain product, do not find any valid evidence of the safety of a product, rather it finds how toxic the product was to that specified animal being used. Test results from rats and mice can not be mixed together or used as the same, although they are both rodents, so how is that supposed to be matched to resemble a human? The different types of animals used throughout various test methods have been proven and recorded to have varying side effects that change from animal to animal. Not only that, but other factors that affect the test results for such tests as the LD can be determined by the sex of the animal, the living conditions the animal is in, and the way in which the drugs or test are administered. These varying factors can play a major role in the outcome for a test, and are not necessarily easy to relate to how a human would react to that product. It could be that a person could have no reaction to the product used, or they could have an adverse reaction. In the same way that people vary, animals do too and can cause false information for cosmetic testing.