Group's Message to Fountain Hills: No One Should Be Killed to Test Cosmetics
For Immediate Release:
February 20, 2013
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
Fountain Hills, Ariz. -- The 22nd Annual International UFO Congress Convention & Film Festival, from February 27 to March 3, might not be the only show coming to Fountain Hills. That's because, in keeping with the theme of alien visitors to Earth, PETA is negotiating with area outdoor advertisers to place a brand-new billboard showing a beckoning alien next to the caption "Afraid of Being Probed? Animals Are, Too. Buy Only Cruelty-Free Cosmetics." PETA's point? That humans somehow rationalize blinding and poisoning animals in laboratories to test cosmetics and other products, but how would they feel if they were the subjects of similar experiments carried out by "advanced" aliens?
"Experiments on animals are painful, deadly, and unreliable," says PETA Senior Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "If the thought of being a 'guinea pig' used by aliens to test cosmetics frightens you, then you should never buy products tested on animals."
Animals in laboratories are confined to small cages and are denied everything that's natural and important to them. They live in constant fear and endure painful experiments. To test cosmetics, household cleaners, and other consumer products, rats, mice, guinea pigs, and rabbits are force-fed chemicals or have harsh substances dripped into their eyes or rubbed onto their raw, abraded skin—even though the results of animal tests are not applicable to humans. While cosmetic tests on animals are required in China and some other countries, they are not required by law in the U.S. and have been banned in the European Union and Israel.
Fortunately, many companies—including LUSH, Urban Decay, Paul Mitchell Systems, The Body Shop, and NYX—have signed PETA's statement of assurance that they use only modern, non-animal methods to test their products and ingredients. PETA's global list of cruelty-free cosmetics and household-product companies is available here.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
