Animals suffer in quest for human beauty

Beauty may only be skin deep if the art of looking beautiful has caused suffering to animals and environmental damage along the way. The chemist's shelves show a bewildering array of personal hygiene and body- care products.

Beauty is big business and teenagers, who are naturally concerned about their image, are easy targets for the cosmetics industry.

Did you know that each year millions of animals are experimented on to test cosmetics and toiletries? A further 100,000 animals are estimated to be killed annually in the United States for the same reason.

Because many cosmetics include solvents, colours, fra grances and preservatives that are toxic, most companies test their products for acute toxicity and skin and eye irritation.

These tests may include dripping hairspray into the eyes of rabbits (the notorious draize test) or applying products to the shaved and often abraded skin of a rabbit or guinea pig.

Many companies now make and sell cosmetics without testing the ingredients on animals. One company in Holland, for example, tested its make-up and body lotions on a convent of nuns who sympathised with the company's battle against animal testing requirements.

Even some of the larger cosmetics giants have announced bans on animal testing but the majority of cosmetics are still tested on animals.