Are Dark Days Ahead for Sunscreen? Not if PETA Has a Say
The post What Can You Do to Keep Your Sunscreen Cruelty-Free? appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Are Dark Days Ahead for Sunscreen? Not if PETA Has a Say
The post What Can You Do to Keep Your Sunscreen Cruelty-Free? appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
PETA is pleased to announce that our Science Advancement & Outreach division, in collaboration with a multi-organizational group of researchers and advocates, has won the Lush Prize, the largest award offered within the animal free–research community, in Major Science Collaboration.
The coveted biannual prize is internationally competitive and recognizes the most promising collaborations that are working to develop and promote alternatives to animal testing. PETA’s group triumphed over two fierce competitors, securing a prestigious center-stage spotlight on our work to advance non-animal research methods.
PETA’s Science Advancement & Outreach division director, Dr. Emily Trunnell, partnered with the multinational Coalition to Illuminate and Address Animal Methods Bias on a unique investigation into the scientific community’s inherent favoritism toward animal experimentation in both publishing and funding.
That favoritism is called “animal methods bias,” and it’s a major problem with cascading effects that potentially prevent significant non-animal research from ever getting off the ground. It blocks funding for grant applications and results in skewed peer review of papers submitted for publication. This pervasive bias effectively quashes new, non-animal scientific exploration before it even begins, binding science to age-old—and ineffective—practices that continue to fail human patients while killing sensitive animals.
Animal methods bias poses a particular problem for early-career researchers, who may abandon any thought of non-animal methods early on because they see experimenting on animals as the only way to get ahead in their careers and advance science.
With the goal of mitigating animal methods bias’s harmful effects, the coalition has hosted two multistakeholder workshops, conducted survey studies, developed the first of several mitigation tools, and more. The group’s Author Guide for Addressing Animal Methods Bias in Publishing also provides those conducting animal-free research with a toolkit to combat animal methods bias when trying to publish their work.
PETA scientists work around the clock to promote the development and implementation of animal-free research methods, steadily tipping the scales against animal experimentation.
If you live in the U.S., you can help further this work by supporting PETA’s Research Modernization Deal, which outlines a comprehensive strategy for replacing all experiments on animals with more effective, human-relevant, non-animal methods:
And everyone can watch The Failed Experiment, the new docuseries from PETA and executive producer Bill Maher that exposes what most people don’t know about experiments on animals:
The post PETA Scientist’s Group Wins Major Prize for Work Against Animal Experimentation Bias appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
According to reports, a 62-year-old man who received a kidney from a genetically altered pig at Massachusetts General Hospital in March has died. This latest death is another failure in a lost cause. How many more humans and other animals must die before everyone accepts that xenotransplantation is a dead end?
It’s too soon to know whether a virus was transmitted in this case, as happened in the recent transplant of a pig’s heart to a human, but we do know that xenotransplants have been a colossal failure for decades.
Cleaning up the organ procurement business, which wastes as many as 28,000 organs annually; enacting presumed consent laws; and implementing PETA scientists’ Research Modernization Deal, which offers a plan for phasing out the use of animals, would actually save human lives.
It’s worth thinking back to decades of failures, beginning with the doomed transplant of a heart from a baby baboon into a human infant, Baby Fae, in 1984 and remembering that we’re in an age when advances don’t depend on using other species as spare parts.
Read more about the dangers and failures of xenotransplantation and take action to shut down the University of Alabama–Birmingham’s cruel transplantation laboratory—where a whistleblower blew the lid off a litany of severe animal welfare atrocities—here.
If you’re a U.S. resident, ask your legislators to support our Research Modernization Deal, which maps out a strategy for replacing the use of animals in experiments with superior, human-relevant methods:
The post Another Death, Another Xenotransplant Failure: PETA Points to Problems With Pig Kidney Surgeries appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the kindest of them all? Everyone who uses cruelty-free cosmetics, says Atiana De La Hoya in her brand-new campaign for PETA. The star unveiled the ad at a launch party in Los Angeles today, when she shared how being a guardian to two rescued rabbits opened her eyes to how the gentle animals suffer in cruel tests for beauty products.
“I was doing my makeup one day, and I looked over at Jeff and Daisy … and I realized that some of the makeup that I’m using directly affects [them],” De La Hoya says in an accompanying video for PETA. “That’s when I really started to kind of be more conscious of the products that I was buying and the products that I was using every day. … They basically hold down these animals and force chemicals into their eyes, on their skin, to see what kind of reactions they’ll have. And it’s really, really awful.”PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies database is the ultimate resource for conscientious shoppers and lists more than 6,000 companies and brands around the world that have banned animal tests in favor of effective, modern, non-animal methods, thereby sparing animals painful and deadly tests.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
The post ‘Beauty Without Bunnies!’ Atiana De La Hoya Stars in Cruelty-Free Campaign for PETA appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
The post Atiana De La Hoya’s ‘Get Ready With Me’ Video Will Make You Rethink Your Beauty Routine appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Atiana De La Hoya, daughter of the iconic musician and longtime vegan Travis Barker, grew up in a household where kindness and empathy were core values. Her compassion toward animals began at a young age and runs deep. Now she’s using her platform to remind people that beauty never has to come at animals’ expense.
Atiana’s advocacy for cruelty-free beauty is deeply personal. Thanks to her two beloved bunnies, Jeff and Daisy, she has firsthand experience of the joy and companionship that animals bring into our lives. And that’s why she knows that true beauty is cruelty-free.
“I was doing my makeup one day, and I looked over at Jeff and Daisy, ’cause they kind of run around my room, and I realized that some of the makeup that I’m using directly affects, maybe not Jeff and Daisy, but many rabbits and many animals, especially mice and guinea pigs and rats.”
—Atiana De La Hoya
Tests on rabbits are not only cruel but also scientifically unreliable. Due to the biological differences between humans and the animals commonly used in toxicity tests and the unnatural and stressful conditions these animals are forced to endure, the results of these tests are meaningless and do nothing to protect humans.
With the rise of modern animal-free testing methods, from cutting-edge three-dimensional tissue models to advanced computer simulations, there are now effective and humane ways to ensure that cosmetics are safe to use. Every animal is someone, and there’s no legitimate excuse to torment and kill them for a tube of lipstick or a bottle of mascara.
PETA’s Global Beauty Without Bunnies program is a valuable resource for compassionate shoppers, offering a searchable database of over 6,500 companies and brands that don’t test on animals. By downloading the Bunny Free app or visiting the Beauty Without Bunnies website, consumers can easily identify cruelty-free products and make ethical purchasing decisions.
“I think it’s really important just to think more about the products that you use every day and the products that you buy every day because nobody has to be perfect, but just thinking about the little things and the little contributions that you can make really do make a difference.” —Atiana De La Hoya
Atiana’s message serves as a powerful reminder of how easy it is to make compassionate choices every day. Her advocacy for cruelty-free beauty is not just about makeup—it’s about making a difference in the lives of animals. Together, we can choose kindness and make the world a more beautiful place for everyone.
The post Hop Into Atiana De La Hoya’s Bunny-Friendly ‘Get Ready With Me’ Video appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
The post 10 Black-Owned Beauty Brands That Stick Up for Animals appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
PETA welcomes a globally loved male fragrance brand to its list of animal test–free products. Axe—known in some countries as Lynx—has been added to PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program, and its products will display PETA’s bunny logo, reflecting its commitment to never conducting, commissioning, paying for, or allowing tests on animals at any phase of development for ingredients or the final product anywhere in the world.
“Millions of PETA supporters and compassionate consumers around the world will be delighted by this news,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “We thank Unilever for its longstanding commitment to ending tests on animals everywhere.”
Axe joins more than 20 other brands from Unilever, its parent company, on PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies database that have banned all animal tests in favor of effective, modern, non-animal methods, thereby sparing animals painful and deadly experiments in which substances are applied to their eyes and shaved skin, sprayed in their faces, or forced down their throats.
Unilever is also on PETA’s list of companies working for regulatory change, which recognizes manufacturers that test on animals only when explicitly required to do so by law and that work to promote the development and acceptance of animal-free methods.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.
The post Axe Men’s Products Are Now PETA-Approved Animal Test–Free appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
PETA’s Global Beauty Without Bunnies program is delighted to welcome Axe—the world’s No. 1 men’s fragrance brand—to its list of animal test–free companies, meaning that the brand does not and will not conduct tests on animals anywhere in the world.
This wildly popular brand of body spray, bodywash, deodorant, and hair-care products will soon display PETA’s bunny logo.
Axe products are sold in more than 90 countries around the globe, and—by sparing animals the torment of product testing—their new PETA approval vastly widens their appeal for consumers who refuse to purchase products from companies that pay for cruel and deadly tests on animals.
Axe’s parent company, Unilever, has also banned all tests on animals not required by law for the rest of its products. Unilever is on PETA’s Working for Regulatory Change list of companies, a category that recognizes businesses that test on animals only when explicitly required to do so by law, are transparent with PETA about any tests on animals that have been conducted and why, and work diligently to promote the development, validation, and acceptance of non-animal methods.
In order to be accepted into PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program, companies must commit never to conduct, commission, pay for, or allow tests on animals at any phase of development for both ingredients and final products.
It’s easy to avoid products tested on animals, thanks to PETA’s searchable Beauty Without Bunnies database, which currently lists more than 6,500 animal test–free cosmetics, personal-care, and household product companies and brands. And don’t forget to look for PETA’s bunny logo on products and use your power as a consumer to support PETA-approved companies. By choosing animal test–free products, you’ll help prevent hundreds of thousands of sensitive mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and other animals from being subjected to agonizing and deadly tests.
The post Axe Joins PETA’s ‘Global Beauty Without Bunnies’ Animal Test–Free List appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Amid the chaos of life, the “lazy-girl makeup” trend has emerged for those who refuse to spend hours in front of a mirror. Let’s delve into the essence of this trend, exploring why it’s not so lazy after all and how you can veganize it.
Remember those 20-step makeup tutorials on YouTube? No one has time for that! “Lazy-girl makeup” is about efficiency and simplicity. It’s a realization that we don’t need a time-consuming beauty routine to look and feel beautiful. And contrary to its title, this trend isn’t about slacking off. It’s about using your time wisely.
Vegan and animal test–free makeup products perfectly fit this trend. Here’s why.
Mice, rats, and rabbits are suffering and dying for product tests in some parts of the world right this second. Yet animal experiments teach us nothing about the safety of a product for humans because animals of different species absorb, metabolize, and eliminate substances differently from us. These tests are pointless.
When you choose cruelty-free makeup, you can feel good about your appearance and about how you spend your money. And with the growing availability of vegan and animal test–free makeup products, it’s never been easier to be kind. Who says you can’t have it all?
Commit to cruelty-free makeup by signing this pledge to refuse to spend money on companies that make animals suffer for their products or support corporations that abuse animals.
The post Made Up in Minutes: The Cruelty-Free Guide to ‘Lazy-Girl Makeup’ appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Animals Need You More Than Ever After Court Decision on Cosmetics Testing
What Does a Court Decision Mean for Cosmetics? The Answer’s in Your Cabinet
The Huge Way You Can Still Help Animals Used for Cosmetics Tests After Court Ruling
There’s No Contour for Compassion: How to Help Animals After Court Ruling
Skin-Deep Decision for EU Gives You the Chance to Help Animals Used in Cosmetics Tests
Why a Verdict for EU Gives You the Chance to Lipstick to Your Guns for Animals
Why This Verdict Is the Perfect Chance to Lash Out Against Cosmetics-Testing Cruelty
In one fell swoop, the Court of Justice of the European Union has sentenced thousands of rats and rabbits to horrific suffering and certain death in cruel cosmetics tests. But you can still help animals today.
The post Why This Verdict Is the Perfect Chance to ‘Lash’ Out Against Cosmetics-Testing Cruelty appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Earlier this year, Emily Austin launched a PETA-approved cruelty-free brand, People’s Beauty, adding to her long list of accomplishments—which includes being a judge at the 2023 Miss Universe pageant. Emily makes sure that there’s a strong message against animal testing behind her brand, just like in her new campaign with PETA. Emily joined us for an emotional video that has had a memorable impact on her over 1.7 million social media followers—detailing the cruel practices carried out at the national primate research centers established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In the 1960s, the U.S. Congress instituted the NIH Primate Research Centers program—tasked with importing and breeding monkeys and other primates for experimenters, developing supposed primate “models” for human disease, and experimenting on these vulnerable animals. These centers are places of immeasurable pain, misery, and death; have served as breeding grounds for diseases; and have failed to advance human health—and they’re all funded by taxpayer money.
Monkeys imprisoned in these centers have been torn away from their mothers as infants, raised in complete darkness, restrained for hours at a time in psychological experiments, infected with lethal diseases, mutilated in experimental surgeries, electroshocked on their penises, and more. The justification for this torture is the misguided belief that tormenting these animals will help develop treatments and cures for human diseases. Considering just how biologically, genetically, and physiologically different monkeys are from humans, it’s not surprising that none of the promised vaccines for HIV, malaria, or tuberculosis have materialized at any of these centers.
The most common primate species used in laboratories include rhesus macaques, long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, and baboons. These animals are confined to barren steel cages that are a far cry from the lush forests and grasslands of their native homes. In their natural habitats, these monkeys can travel for miles, forage for a variety of foods, socialize with family and friends, and engage in other activities—such as climbing hills, swimming, swinging from vines, scampering across fields, caring for their babies, and otherwise cavorting with their companions.
Primates experience high levels of stress, anxiety, frustration, and fear in these poor living conditions—making the results of experiments on them even more suspect. Many animals go insane, exhibiting behavior such as rocking back and forth, pacing their cages endlessly, and making involuntary, spastic movements. They even engage in self-mutilation, including tearing out their hair or biting their flesh. The primate-experimentation industry’s own research has found that 14% of monkeys who are isolated in laboratory cages self-mutilate so severely that they require veterinary care.
Join Emily and thousands of PETA supporters in calling for the immediate closure of all national primate research centers and the release of their monkey victims to appropriate sanctuaries, where they would be safe and treated with the dignity that they deserve for the rest of their lives. Text EMILY to 73822 to sign an action alert urging the NIH to shut down these facilities.
Terms for automated texts/calls from PETA: http://peta.vg/txt. Text STOP to end, HELP for more info. Msg/data rates may apply. U.S. only.
The post Emily Austin Urges NIH to Shut Down All National Primate Research Centers appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Are you expecting a baby? Congratulations! You may be preparing your registry right now and wondering what to add to the list. When you’re doing so, make sure that your registry is animal-friendly by adding vegan and animal test–free products. Animals are loving parents just like you, so honor them by choosing items that aren’t made from ingredients like beeswax and honey stolen from hardworking bees or milk taken from cows or goats who need it to feed their babies.
This gentle lavender-scented foaming bubble bath is made with chamomile and aloe to help soothe your baby, but you can also use it for some self-care.
For babies with dry or irritated skin, this 2-in-1 baby shampoo and bodywash will nourish and soften their skin with calming oat milk and calendula oil.
Made with coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe, and other hydrating ingredients, this balm helps lock in moisture to protect your baby’s skin from dryness.
You’ll need a good diaper bag to hold all the essentials, so choose one that isn’t made from cows’ skin. This nylon bag is durable and easy to clean, with pockets to help organize it all.
These extra-large, super-soft wipes are made without plastic, fragrances, parabens, and chlorine processing. Plus, they get rave reviews on Target’s website.
Pair those baby wipes with The Honest Company’s disposable diapers, which are eco-friendly and hypoallergenic.
Make quick work of washing baby bottles and dishes with this animal-friendly dish soap.
Prevent diaper rash by keeping your baby’s skin soft and dry with this talc-free Burt’s Bees baby powder.
You may be surprised by how much laundry a tiny baby can make, but this detergent from Babyganics can help you get everything as clean as can be in no time. It’s also safe to use on cloth diapers.
Breastfeeding can be difficult, and lactation consultants may recommend herbal supplements to the breastfeeding parent in order to help increase the milk supply. This one comes in a vegan capsule, and there’s a fenugreek-free version for those who are sensitive to this herb.
If you want the benefits of a lactation supplement but in the form of a tasty snack, try these oatmeal chocolate chip bars.
This apple- and aloe-scented bubble bath is cleansing, soothing, and gentle enough for eczema-prone skin.
Many people experience postpartum hair loss. This supplement can help support your hair and general wellness as your hormones settle after birth.
Your baby deserves the best, so learn more about how you can raise compassionate children at PETA Kids:
The post Making a Baby Registry at Target? Don’t Forget These Vegan Essentials appeared first on PETA.
When your skin is prone to dryness, irritation, redness, or itchiness, it helps to be extra careful about the products you use. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to find animal-friendly ones that are great for sensitive skin. In your search, opt for nourishing ingredients that come from plants and aren’t derived from speciesist and selfish cruelty to animals.
Bees are killed for their beeswax and honey, which they work hard to produce in order to support their communities. Many skincare products contain ingredients—including lanolin, collagen, squalene made from shark liver, and carmine—that are derived from harming animals.
As you navigate your skincare journey, it’s essential to prioritize animal-friendly options and be mindful of potential irritants. To ensure your sensitive skin receives the gentle care it deserves, steer clear of harsh fragrances, exfoliants, sulfates, and alcohol.
Here are some vegan skincare options across all price points that you can incorporate into your routine:
Peony extract and chamomile leave your face clean, calm, and ready for the day.
If your skin is red, itchy, and irritated, this nonfoaming cooling cleanser could be just what you need.
Your skin and wallet will love e.l.f.’s gentle, gel-based cleanser. Pair it with the Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm for a cleansing duo.
Protect your skin barrier—the outermost layer of skin that protects the body from environmental stress—with this ultra-gentle product.
There’s a reason this cleanser went viral on TikTok—it’s gentle, nourishing, and great for all sensitive skin types.
Natural antioxidants help rejuvenate the skin. This mid-weight formula is perfect for all skin types, including acne-prone ones, that experience irritation and redness.
The calming aloe vera and vitamin E in this moisturizing cream help soothe and hydrate skin.
Itchiness, redness, and dryness could indicate issues with your skin barrier. This product from Pacifica provides protective care to that crucial area.
This day cream helps prevent dehydration and protects skin from pollutants.
Super-dry, sensitive skin needs some powerfully hydrating ingredients. Arctic algae is rich in minerals for long-lasting protection from environmental stress.
We love a versatile product, and this one from ACURE can be used as a makeup remover, a chapped skin reliever, or a hydrating facial treatment.
Vitamin C serums can irritate sensitive skin types, but this product contains pomegranate seed oil for a hydrating, skin-brightening delivery.
When your skin is feeling unbalanced, reach for this facial serum to help even things out.
The seaweed and hyaluronic acid in this serum can help give you a hydration boost while smoothing out you skin’s appearance.
Those with sensitive skin need to be careful about incorporating exfoliants into their routine, and they should choose chemical options over manual ones. If you select an exfoliant that’s too harsh or use it too often, it can do more harm than good—but this gentle chemical product with 1% salicylic acid is perfect for balancing sensitive skin and unclogging pores. To reduce the chance of additional irritation, start by using it once a week on a day you aren’t using a retinol.
This powerful serum combines antioxidant ingredients and retinol with Alchimie Forever’s proprietary time-release technology, which helps minimize irritation.
Hylunia’s retinol comes from beta-carotene (not fish livers) and helps regenerate cells and protect skin from free radicals.
The chamomile, aloe, and seaweed extract in this retinol serum will leave your skin feeling soft while the retinol helps even it out.
Traditional retinol can be harsh on sensitive skin types, but the Granactive Retinoid in this serum is a gentler option.
Pro tip: Sun care is an essential part of any skincare routine—especially if you use any sort of retinol product—so check out our cruelty-free sunscreen list for the best mineral SPF options.
Whatever your sensitive skincare routine looks like, be sure to choose products that aren’t tested on animals or made with cruelly derived ingredients. Our cruelty-free database can help you find out whether your favorite brands and products are animal-friendly.
The post Sensitive Skin? No Problem! These Vegan Skincare Products Will Help Soothe and Repair Your Skin appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
While you fill up your Easter Sunday basket with vegan chocolate bunnies, don’t forget about the bunnies who really matter. Gentle, curious rabbits suffer when humans exploit them for their fur, torment them in experiments, or abuse them in other horrific ways.
Learn more about how rabbits are suffering right now—and what you can do about it.
In the angora wool industry, farms typically house rabbits alone in tiny wire-mesh cages, in which they barely have room to move and are forced to live amid their own waste. These social animals often go insane from the overwhelming distress of isolation and severe confinement.
Workers often restrain gentle rabbits—who may desperately struggle to escape—and violently rip the fur from their sensitive skin. Rabbits typically endure this painful and terrifying ordeal every three months. After two to five years, those who have survived the constant abuse and miserable captivity are sent to be slaughtered.
At slaughterhouses, workers hang rabbits upside down and slit their throats so that their blood drains from their bodies. Then, their flesh is sold for meat.
More than 161,000 rabbits are abused in U.S. laboratories every year.
At the University of Pittsburgh, rabbits underwent a surgery designed to cause intentional trauma to their knee joints. After more than two weeks with their legs contorted in an unnatural, excruciating position, two of the animals had lost significant weight—indicating chronic pain and distress—but they were still forced to endure six more weeks of this agony.
Rabbits are also used in experiments to study cardiovascular disease, skin conditions, and spinal cord injuries. Experimenters at the University of Utah cut deep incisions into rabbits’ backs and surgically inserted implants into their spines. The surgically mutilated animals were observed for 24 weeks and then killed.
Humans purchase rabbits as Easter gifts, use them as props in photo shoots, force them to perform in magic shows, and exploit them in other ways for entertainment.
Many families bring home bunnies as Easter gifts, without realizing the vast amount of care that these animals require. When the “bunny fever” wears off, they often discard the animals just weeks later—sometimes by “setting them free” outside and leaving them to starve or be killed by predators. Some unwanted rabbits may end up at scummy petting zoos, which subject them to a barrage of poking and prodding guests.
Rabbits are the third most common animal surrendered to animal shelters, because most people buy them on a whim, not realizing that they are high-maintenance, expensive, and long-term commitments. Caring for a rabbit involves litterbox training, bunny proofing a home, frequent grooming, trips to special veterinarians, and much more.
Every rabbit purchased from a pet store means one fewer home for another rabbit waiting for adoption at a shelter. If you’re ready for the commitment of caring for a bunny, adopt—don’t shop.
Caring for a rabbit takes time, effort, and compassion!
Only adopt companion animals if you’re going to make them a part of your family. https://t.co/DlENoOn0Ik pic.twitter.com/JfCoPrFa2W
— PETA (@peta) February 29, 2020
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If you want to do more to help rabbits throughout the year, click the button below:
The post Learn How Rabbits Are Exploited in Laboratories, on Angora Wool Farms, and Elsewhere This Easter Sunday appeared first on PETA.
What if someone asks you, “Why do people hate PETA?” People hate being confronted with the systemic abuse of our fellow animals every single day in industries that they support.
We know cognitive dissonance when we see it. Humans accustomed to eating meat and wearing leather don’t want to be reminded of the gentle cows who are killed at slaughterhouses, where workers hang them upside down and slit their throats. Those who buy products that were tested on animals don’t want to think about sensitive rabbits, who suffer when experimenters drip painful chemicals into their eyes or implant electrodes in their heads before killing them.
Speciesism—or the idea that humans are superior to other animals and therefore have the “right” to exploit them—is deeply ingrained in our society and is the basis for industries that exploit animals, from various forms of entertainment to the “pet” trade.
PETA routinely exposes the enormous suffering inherent in these industries. We conduct shocking undercover investigations, coordinate provocative campaigns, and organize bold street protests. When we speak up for animal rights, we don’t do it to make people feel comfortable—we do it to urge them to change.
People should feel disturbed by all the cruelty that PETA exposes—that’s the point. But hating on the messenger pointing out what’s uncomfortable to know won’t change the facts: Countless animals are suffering, and we have the power to help them.
Help our fieldworkers house and feed neglected companion dogs.
PETA’s fieldworkers diligently help neglected “backyard dogs,” who are often chained outside 24/7 and forced to endure extreme weather conditions. In addition to showing these animals the care and affection that they’re routinely denied, our fieldworkers provide them with food, sturdy doghouses, veterinary care, toys, and more. You can help us continue this work by sponsoring a doghouse or by donating as little as $5 to provide a neglected dog with a week’s worth of food.
Don’t buy products that have been tested on animals.
Experimenters kill countless rabbits, mice, rats, and other animals in pointless product tests each year, which can involve force-feeding them test substances or dripping chemicals into their eyes. Always opt for cruelty-free beauty and household products, which you can find through our Beauty Without Bunnies program.
Speak out against abusive animal displays.
Remind everyone never to patronize crummy roadside zoos, marine parks, traveling animal acts, or any other cruel operation that exploits animals for entertainment.
Keep animal-derived materials out of your closet.
Don’t wear animals’ skin, wool, feathers, or fur. Plenty of brands sell vegan leather, faux fur, and other animal-free options.
Promote a vegan lifestyle in your community.
Cook a vegan meal for your neighbors, donate vegan items to your local food bank, and ask your friends and family to take PETA’s 3-Week Vegan Challenge.
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If you want to take further action for animals, check out our top 10 action alerts this month:
The post How to Answer if Someone Asks, ‘Why Do People Hate PETA?’ appeared first on PETA.
This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
It all started with an animal far smaller than a horse: a hamster. When I was little, my parents allowed my brother and me to have a hamster, and that taught me two very important things: Be responsible and be kind. Hammy’s needs came first. He always had a rich array of fruit and vegetables, he lived where we lived—in the family room—and every day he had several hours of (supervised) freedom and exercise. When he eventually curled up and went to sleep, I watched my mother gently lift him back into his cage. At friends’ houses, I noticed with sadness that hamsters and gerbils were mostly forgotten in cages that were rarely cleaned and often relegated to the basement. It seemed profoundly unjust.
My next exposure to animals came when I was 10 and I found an abandoned puppy. It had never occurred to me that a dog could be abandoned! I went to the library and found—to my amazement and joy—that there were organizations dedicated to helping homeless dogs and cats. I donated a few dollars, and the materials I received were my first lesson on animal neglect and abuse.
Still not putting two and two together, I began riding horses, and my parents bought me one. His name was Buddy. I showed him in English equitation and hunter jumper classes. I went to races, too, and learned to play polo. I loved horses but somehow didn’t yet see how they were being harmed.
Then one day, I saw a horse die on a racetrack. Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place. I stopped going to races. I stopped playing polo. And in 1989, I started working for PETA.
My first assignments to help animals in labs included “Get a Saturday Night Live cast member to pretend to vomit into a giant toilet” and “Hang a banner from the Eiffel Tower.” Gulp. I did manage to get both done, and Kevin Nealon remains a loyal PETA friend. I was also charged with persuading cosmetics companies to stop testing on animals. Back then, we had about 10 companies on our cruelty-free list. Now we have more than 6,000!
Fifteen years ago, I began heading up PETA’s Laboratory Investigations Department, and I’m delighted to recall our victories, of which these are just a few:
Horses still hold a place in my heart, so I also lead PETA’s Equine Matters Department, showing the world the atrocities that horses are subjected to. We’ve videotaped trainers as they injected them with performance-enhancing drugs and documented the slaughter of U.S. horses in Canada, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea (and saved some of them just in the nick of time). In 2022, PETA pushed New York state legislators to stop a bill that would have given Belmont Park $450 million in state-backed bonds to build a fancy clubhouse—the first time New York legislators said “no” to the greedy horse racing industry.
All those years ago, I “loved” horses, but I don’t think I ever really knew who they were. That shift—seeing the world from their point of view—was key. And now I’m dedicated to helping end the abuse of horses—and all animals. If horses hold a special place in your heart, too, please come along with me for the ride of a lifetime.
Horses shouldn’t be forced to compete for human entertainment. Take action to urge the International Olympic Committee to remove all equestrian events.
Written by Kathy Guillermo, PETA Senior Vice President
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This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Have you considered making a switch to ditch speciesism and go vegan in the new year? A resolution that benefits animals—including humans, the planet, and your own health—is a great way to awaken with more kindness, awareness, and sense of purpose on January 1! And going vegan has never been easier, with all the latest cruelty-free personal-care products, food, fashion, entertainment, and more at your fingertips. Now let’s get you geared up to melt the icy vices of human supremacy and help 2023 be more animal-free.
There are so many options for cruelty-free makeup, shampoos, soaps, and so on. Let us lead you through a few brands whose products will be easy to find. Learn why checking the labels on personal-care products is important before making a purchase, as no animal should ever be used for experimentation or exploited for cosmetics testing.
Get started on your vegan glow-up with these cruelty-free beauty products from Walmart. And while you’re at it, freshen up with our picks for the best vegan shampoos and conditioners, along with some soothing soaps, shaving options, skincare items, and other animal-free bath supplies.
For further guidance, access our Beauty Without Bunnies page to discover which items are animal-friendly and the companies that make them.
Ready to begin with easy, delectable vegan meals? Here are PETA’s most popular recipes for you to prepare, savor, and share. Once you’ve explored a few of those, treat yourself to the newest animal-friendly options in select stores and restaurants. We got the tasty scoop on vegan innovations while attending Natural Products Expo West in May.
Eager to eat quickly but without consuming dishes made from exploited animals, who are sensitive, social beings? Check out our list of all-vegan fast-food chains. Or if you’re craving an old favorite chain restaurant but unsure whether it’s ventured into cruelty-free fare, peruse some of 2022’s best vegan fast-food news. While out for a speedy nosh, do you find yourself wishing more milkshakes were dairy-free and easy to find? We’ve got you covered with some top shops to get you “shaking.” Feeling peckish at the ballpark? You won’t strike out with these vegan favorites. Getting dinner with friends after the game? Sample fresh, animal-free flavors at these Latine-owned spots across the country, selected by PETA Latino.
Between meals, are you snooping around for a snack that happens to be compassionate? Let this “accidentally vegan” list lead you right to them. And in case you’re a parent needing to tide over your young ones, here are some animal-friendly, prepackaged snacks kids can enjoy.
Planning to throw a party that’s to dye for soon? Give these natural and colorful food dye ideas a go. Also, check out our rainbow food trend page to enhance your table’s hues. If you want to go full throttle with a frozen dessert to conclude the festivities, try serving everyone your own epic vegan ice cream sundaes.
However you begin pursuing plant-based platters, pause when you can and take a fun, reflective quiz that matches animal-free food with your personality: Which vegan recipe are you? Also, download the HappyCow app to help you find the nearest vegan-friendly restaurants. And while all these tips are a solid start, also be sure to keep up with PETA’s regular posts on vegan food and drinks for our take on the latest delights.
Now that you’ve dipped into delicious vegan food, flip through our animal-friendly fashion tips. As you start to work on updating your wardrobe, consider why animals should never be used for clothing. The cruelty they endure for fleeting fashion is unconscionable, especially as countless vegan fabrics are now available and being developed.
Since sustainable fashion is vegan, get a glimpse of PETA’s involvement in a Vegan Fashion Week panel. Then, look through these leather-free styles—all from Latine-owned companies—and pick a few as daily go-tos for your wardrobe. Learn how fur, down, wool, silk, and other kinds of animal-derived materials are being replaced with a vegan variety in eco-friendly outfits and activewear.
Now that you have a handle on some fantastic outfits, be sure to stay current with PETA’s updates on all things truly fashion-forward because they’re animal-free.
Unsure how going vegan will change your modes of amusement? As no animal should ever be used for entertainment, here are a few ideas to engage and uplift your new vegan self.
Start by skipping roadside zoos, aquariums, marine parks, and circuses that exploit animals. Take a trip instead to the nearest reputable farmed-animal sanctuary. There, you can visit animals who have been rescued and help fund compassionate efforts.
Learn how animals are used for film and television, and seek out kind productions the next time you pay for a movie ticket or select a streaming show.
Love TV shows about eats and treats but worried that no vegan representation is out there? Try Food Network’s It’s CompliPlated, hosted by PETA’s 2020 Person of the Year, Tabitha Brown.
Eager to read a great book about animals but not sure where to start? Pick up one of these moving animal rights–themed books or other works of literature that critique speciesism.
No matter how you enjoy your leisure time, simply keeping animals in your heart and mind will allow you to spend it meaningfully and compassionately.
With the vegan basics in place, you can go above and beyond for animals by celebrating 2022’s triumphs and taking online action via our easy and innovative alerts. Read about and participate in our most pressing campaigns. Get inspired by these recent victories by PETA supporters and learn how you can help animals going forward.
We wish you a stellar start to 2023, as the new vegan you begins to feel ready and steady prioritizing compassion for animals. After all, we’re animals, too, and being kind to our fellow creatures is simple—especially with a reliable guide. If you’re seeking further advice, check out these vegan-friendly apps, which may make all the difference.
Take one last tip from us and order our free vegan starter kit. And for extra motivation in going vegan, team up with a friend and send them one as well.
Happy New Year from everyone here at PETA!
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This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
PETA has teamed up with activist, actor, and model Joanna Krupa and vegan beauty subscription service Kinder Beauty for a special Kinder Beauty Mystique Halloween Box, available to purchase here, and 20% of the proceeds from each sale will go directly to support PETA’s work to help dogs who are chained outdoors 24/7.
The limited-edition box includes a “beauty potion” from Honua Hawaiian Skincare that will keep skin hydrated well past the witching hour, a blood-red lipstick from 100% Pure, a pack of chic “evil eye” and constellation temporary tattoos from INKED by Dani, and lunar-phase nail wraps from Ma Soirée—all of which are “gore-free,” meaning they contain no animal-derived ingredients and were never tested on animals.
“I love that my cruelty-free Kinder box supports PETA’s doghouse program, which provides shelter for neglected dogs who would otherwise have no reprieve from storms, wind, or freezing cold,” says Krupa. “One person can make a difference to a lonely dog shivering in a backyard, and this is one way to do that.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. A database of cruelty-free cosmetics companies is available here. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
Ahead of Halloween, we teamed up with model and actor Joanna Krupa and vegan beauty subscription service Kinder Beauty to launch an eeriesistable set of cruelty-free products to help turn anyone into a bonea fide beauty queen.
Now available for purchase, the Mystique Box will fly off the shelves, so grab yours soon.
This limited-edition Halloween beauty box is brimming with cruelty-free skincare treats and will help you banish stress. The proceeds from each box will support PETA’s doghouse program, which provides neglected “backyard dogs” with the shelter and care they need to survive the cold winter months. Over the years, Kinder Beauty has compassionately raised enough funds to build 52 sturdy doghouses. You can help, too, by trick-or-treating yourself to a Mystique Box this year.
This antioxidant beauty potion gets its blood-red color from hibiscus flowers, which—along with astaxanthin and hyaluronic acid—will keep you hydrated and glowing long into Halloween night.
As ghosts appear and witches take flight, get your beauty sleep with this night cream. It’s a fast-absorbing but miraculously nongreasy elixir that feels like a dream and delivers the ultimate in skin repair. Sugarcane-derived squalane and rosehip oil lock in moisture, antioxidants even skin tone and treat fine lines, and barley seed and chamomile extracts soothe redness and irritation.
You’ll have perfectly blood-red lips once this sexy, devilish, vibrant lipstick pigmented with the reddest fruits—including plum and raspberry—works its magic. Pomegranate oil provides anti-aging and moisturizing benefits with a satin or matte finish.
Unwind in the moonlit shadows with slumber bath salts that scare away stress. A balanced blend of soothing essential oils—including lavender, frankincense, and geranium—moisturizes your skin so that you can enjoy a hauntingly lovely bath.
The perfect manicure to evoke your celestial spirit with a different lunar phase—from crescent to full—for each finger, these nail wraps allow you to achieve an exquisite salon-quality finish in no time at all.
Summon the spooky and chic with these mystical temporary tattoos that let you experiment with skin ink minus the commitment. From constellations to evil eyes, all these designs are hand-drawn using vegan ink.
Plus, each box includes a special limited-edition PETA sticker sheet.
Some personal-care companies still subject animals to cruel skin- and eye-irritation tests in which chemicals are rubbed onto their skin or dripped into their eyes. And some brands that don’t test on animals still use ingredients that were cruelly obtained from bees (beeswax or honey), sheep (lanolin), insects (carmine), or others. You can rest assured that the brands in this box are all cruelty-free. (Check our database to find out if your favorite personal-care products are vegan.)
Get it before it ghosts! The limited-edition Mystique Box is expected to sell out quickly.
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It’s official: After working with PETA, TRESemmé—one of the most widely recognized hair-care brands—has banned all tests on animals anywhere in the world! Compassionate shoppers everywhere can now look to it for products that are salon-tested on consenting humans but never tested on animals.
PETA’s Global Beauty Without Bunnies program welcomes Unilever’s iconic professional hair-care brand TRESemmé to our list of companies that have banned all tests on animals. Now, when you search for the brand in our Beauty Without Bunnies database, you’ll spot PETA’s iconic bunny logo confirming that “[t]his company does NOT test on animals.”
Unilever is setting a new standard: In 2018, TRESemmé’ parent company also banned all tests on animals not required by law for all of its products. The move prompted PETA to add the consumer goods giant to our list of companies “Working for Regulatory Change,” a category that recognizes businesses that test on animals only when explicitly required to do so by law, are transparent with PETA about any tests on animals that have been conducted and why, and work diligently to promote the development, validation, and acceptance of non-animal methods.
TRESemmé joins Suave, Dove, and other major Unilever brands in giving consumers what they want: products that weren’t tested on animals.
Our list of companies and brands that don’t test on animals is used by millions of consumers as an essential resource when shopping for personal-care products, and we want you to use it, too. Before you shop, always make sure that the products you’re choosing are from the more than 5,300 companies in our Global Beauty Without Bunnies searchable database of companies that don’t test on animals.
Search for Cruelty-Free Companies, Products, and More
In laboratories, conscious, feeling rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and other animals are subjected to excruciating experiments and a lifetime of suffering before they’re killed. Join PETA in ending all tests on animals:
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This post was originally published on Blog – PETA.
If you’re baffled that decades-old, unreliable research methods are still being used today, you aren’t alone. Tests on animals have always been examples of bad science, and a new paper published by PETA scientists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other international experts shows again that tests that don’t use live animals can promote animal well-being and human health.
PETA scientists and their coauthors examined the Draize eye test, which was developed in 1944. In it, experimenters apply chemicals to live rabbits’ eyes and usually leave the affected area (or areas) unwashed for 24 hours or more. In this experiment, rabbits may experience significant pain, swelling, hemorrhaging, or cloudy vision and may even go blind in the eye that is tested on. The animals are then killed or used again in these same painful tests.
Despite the scientific limitations of the Draize eye test, the EPA receives data from more than 200 of these tests each year for pesticides used in the U.S. The rabbit eye test is notoriously unable to produce consistent results, even though consistency is a fundamental aspect of any good test. Furthermore, you may have noticed that there are significant differences between rabbits and humans. For example, did you know that rabbits have a third eyelid?
Scientists are required to compare the results from newer, non-animal methods directly against inconsistent data from flawed animal tests to confirm the validity of the new methods. This means that if a new, better method is developed, it will be perceived as incorrect, because its results don’t match up with the old, flawed animal test. Clearly, using flawed animals tests as a gold standard for comparison hinders good science.
This paper challenges the status quo: It urges the scientific community to rethink how we prove the scientific validity of new methods, which should be evaluated for how well they reflect human biology, rather than how well they imitate unreliable, decades-old animal tests.
In the paper, PETA scientists and their expert collaborators from government agencies and private laboratories reviewed how relevant the rabbit test and tests that don’t use live animals are to humans. They found that the methods that don’t use live rabbits were as, if not more, reflective of human biology and that their results were more consistent. The authors concluded that the newer methods should be accepted now to replace the rabbit test, which would prevent an estimated 600 rabbits from being used in pesticide tests each year in the U.S. alone. Some of these test methods that don’t use live rabbits have already been accepted by the EPA for testing certain types of substances.
The conclusions are clear: It’s time to stop using the rabbit eye test and stop comparing new, reliable, and human-relevant test methods to flawed animal tests. PETA scientists are now working to ensure that the more human-relevant methods that don’t use live rabbits can be used in the U.S. and around the world—and you can help, too.
Be on the side of science and refuse to buy from companies that test their products on animals:
Check Out PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Database
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This post was originally published on Blog – PETA.