Today, there are many ways to check the cosmetic products. It is tested on volunteers, in test tubes, on animals. Thanks to this you can get the most complete picture of the operation of a particular tool. But lately, more and more companies have refused to conduct animal testing. And already this year in Europe a law will come out that prohibits not only testing products on animals, but also selling any cosmetics that have been examined for them. Human rights organizations have pushed active protests of people to such actions. But if cosmetics cease to be tested on animals, then who will replace this stage of quality control? People? Or is this stage of testing not so important and can it be completely ruled out?
Victims of progress
In order to protect themselves from the negative consequences of taking drugs and using cosmetics, people started animal testing in the 19th century. Most often these were rats, rabbits, mini-pigs, since these smaller cousins are closest to us in the structure of the organism. However, many years of experience have shown that the results of such investigations are not always objective. When it became known to human rights activists of animals, they began to actively advocate that such experiments cease. As a result, scientists had to urgently seek new sources, on which cosmetics and medicines could be tested. Today, many well-known companies do so.
Laboratory secrets
This turn of events has benefited. There was a new vision of cosmetics, which is called "on the glass." It requires less financial costs, rather than on animals and allows you to determine the response of just the human cells to the composition of various cosmetics. Thanks to innovative developments, it was possible not only to reduce financial expenses, but also to increase the reliability of tests. This made it possible to move to higher safety standards for care products for the body and face. Many scientists are sure that the need for testing products on animals simply fell away. This is impractical.
First, wheat germ cells were used for the "glass" tests. A little later they began to use human skin cells. Thus, it is possible to follow the reaction with greater accuracy. The results of such studies surpassed all expectations. Now you can quickly and reliably assess the strength of the interaction of components, as well as understand how the tool has a miraculous effect. Therefore, many companies check their cosmetic products on the reconstructed skin. The reconstructed skin is a special cell culture that is grown in a nutrient medium. It has three layers: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, which means that the same processes occur in it as in our skin.
It is worth noting that due to such testing, the cost of production is also reduced due to a reduction in waste.
Live confirmation
However, no matter how effective the tests were "on the glass," scientists have not yet found a way to do without research on a person. The thing is that in vitro it is possible to trace only the reaction to the skin, but it is impossible to predict the effect on the body as a whole. Although the tests in vitro managed to reduce the number of side effects. So, the level of safety of testing on volunteers of the necessary products is also increased. Nonetheless, despite this, the health team involved in such experiments, watched by a team of doctors. After using any drug, people undergo a thorough examination of the whole body. In addition, all tests are conducted in hospitals. Therefore, if a person has an attack or anaphylactic shock, there will always be specialists around who will be able to provide help in time. But such emergency cases occur very rarely.
How to carry out testing of cosmetics in Russia and Ukraine?
Any cosmetic product that is produced in our country must be certified in accordance with established norms. Therefore, all cosmetics are tested on animals. We have not developed enough technologies to test cosmetics on plants and skin cells, as they do in Europe.
In defense of our companies, we can only say that they provide animals with all the necessary conditions for comfortable living. For their health, specialists, veterinarians, who also provide assistance in case of need, are in charge. After the animal has successfully tested the new product, it is already investigated in human volunteers. This is the final stage. In addition to the test drug, volunteers also use the means of other producers. This helps to achieve maximum effect, improve the formula and get a product that not only has a similar effect, but also surpasses the already available funds in the market.
The conclusion from all this can be done this. Today, thanks to innovative technologies and science, you can avoid testing cosmetic products on the brothers of our smaller ones. There are alternative ways to research new cosmetics: the "on the glass" method.
Advantages of the method of testing "on glass"
The advantages of this method are many. Firstly, it is obvious to women. After all, this testing takes into account all the features of the skin: density, age changes, fat content and so on. Therefore, you can achieve the maximum effect from using cosmetics with minimal risks.
Secondly, ineffective and unsafe components of the tested cosmetic products will not fall. Indeed, thanks to the creation of a reconstructed human skin, it is already possible at the stage of laboratory studies to find out how the components that make up the drug will affect the skin of a person.
Studies on volunteers, which are the final stage of testing, are very important. This allows you to assess the safety of the tool, as well as its effectiveness. If the package contains information on such testing, then the product has undergone a thorough check and clinical tests on volunteers.
Thanks to movements of activists for the ethical attitude to animals, the technologies began to develop more actively. Now we can get more quality products for the same money. Manufacturers can save on testing, with no harm to quality. It's really good.
When buying cosmetics, pay attention to the fact that in any conditions it was tested, and also carefully study the composition of products. The more natural components in it, the better and more efficient it will be. Also, do not forget that even the best cosmetics can develop an allergy. Therefore, before buying a new product, it is advisable to test it on your wrist.