Thousands of cosmetic brands around the world have managed to transition to cruelty-free testing. However, the popular drug store brand Maybelline continues to test its products on small animals. Stopping Maybelline would be a big step towards a cruelty-free makeup community.
Each year 100,000 to 200,000 animals are used in cosmetics animal testing. Animal testing is the deliberate harm of animals in order to test products. According to the Humane Society International, this includes, but is not limited to: skin and eye irritation tests, oral force-feedings, and lethal testing. Typically once the test is over, the animal is slaughtered.
Companies continue to test on animals even though it is not a requirement in the majority of countries. When companies introduce new ingredients, they test them because there is no known safety data.
One solution is that Maybelline consumers refrain from buying their products. Another solution would be for Maybelline to use ingredients it knows to be safe rather than testing new ingredients. The last solution would be for Maybelline to use skin tests that use human reconstructed skin, such as Epiderm and EpiSkin. These alternatives are not only safer for animals but they are cheaper and more reliable.
Marissa McGee, Bloomington
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Not all animal/medicine testing is like she said it is. If you are prescribed or take most over the counter drugs, rest assured that in all probability, they have been tested on animals first. Would the person writing this letter want to take untested meds or is she willing to give children untested products? Next how does she propose testing potential drugs? [whistling]
You missed the point of her letter, but I digress. Actually drugs, or rather prescription medication, is tested on humans. Ever heard of drug trials? Obviously they are necessary for medical purposes to test efficacy and for any potential side effects.
Do I know about Drug Test? Yep. Been in one for over two years for Cancer and have had zero negative reactions while headed toward winning. I also know about livestock drugs becoming the same drugs you use today. Is that enough or do you need more?[whistling]
No, that’s good lol. I’m happy you’ve had success with the trials. That’s how we make progress 😊 I do disagree with medical testing on cosmetics though. You don’t need make up to live.
Yes Rachel you are also right about the make up. But I do look so cute in my eye shadow.[wink]
“MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX” / Makeup/Cosmetics...You can google it...
THE ORIGIN OF THE PHRASE “MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX”
May 2, 2014 Emily Upton 7 comments
beeToday I found out the origin of the phrase “mind your own beeswax.”
“Mind your own beeswax” and “it’s none of your beeswax” are common phrases you might hear being shouted by six-year-olds on the school playground. For the uninitiated, they basically mean “mind your own business” or “it’s none of your business,” but some people think it’s more complicated than that.
There is a popular story that says back in the 18th and 19th centuries, women who suffered from disfiguring marks left by small pox used beeswax to smooth out their complexion. One suggested theory is that if someone got too close or was staring too long, a woman would say “mind your own beeswax,” as in, “stop staring at mine.” Another is that the beeswax would start to melt if a woman sat too close to the fire, and their companions would have to tell them to “mind their own beeswax” which was dripping off their chins.
Beeswax has been commonly used in cosmetics for years, most notably in Burt’s Bees products, but this origin story is pure myth. The story started being circulated by a chain e-mail called “Little History Lesson” which made the rounds in 2000.
The first record of “mind your own beeswax” actually appears in 1929 in a children’s book, with additional early records following in 1934 and 1939, quite a few years after women were supposedly slathering wax on their faces and coining popular expressions about it.
Aside from there being no documented cases of beeswax being used as a remedy for pockmarks, there are documented medicines in their place. Pockmarks were considered to be a problem, but instead of wax, women would use brightly coloured patches of cloth and stick them on their faces with adhesive to cover the marks. This sounds a little ridiculous, but it would probably sound pretty odd to someone from the 18th and 19th centuries to hear that people today inject botulinum toxin type-A (a.k.a. Botox) into their faces to improve their look. Another trick they used back then was face powder made from lead flakes, which might have covered up their scars but wasn’t exactly beneficial to their health.
There is no evidence to suggest that “beeswax” is anything more than a funny, and convenient, substitution for “business.” The phrase “mind your own business” has been around for a long time, and is incredibly straightforward: it is a phrase to tell someone to pay attention to their own affairs rather than yours. It’s thought that changing “business” to “beeswax” probably softened the phrase, making it sound a little less harsh.
One etymologist, Mark Forsyth, has noted that the word “beeswax” was slang for “tedious bore” in the 19th century. Therefore, the phrase “mind your own beeswax” might in fact be “mind your own, beeswax.” That is, “nose out, you bore.” However, Forsyth admits that the substitution theory carries a lot of weight too, since the words “business” and “beeswax” sound quite similar.
If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/05/origin-phrase-mind-beeswax/
Well we have always known that you can cut and paste, so can you now color within the lines, too?[whistling]
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