The True Cost of Beauty

Many big companies animal test without us even knowing. In high school, many of us buy our own products now, and we need to know the background of what we’re buying. Animal testing is even still required in some places like China and Russia to “prove the cosmetics are safe.” 

Well-known companies like L’oreal, Estee Lauder, Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Johnson & Johnson, S.C. Johnson, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Church & Dwight, Unilever, Cetaphil, Cerave, and Henkel animal test. People do not realize how many things you use every day that participate in animal testing.

Laneige itself has become very popular, not just for the lip products but also skincare. They’re also on the pricier side going from $16-25 for one small lip mask. It’s been affiliated with people from Sydney Sweeney to BTS. They have recently come under fire on social media after being exposed for not being cruelty-free. They claimed to have discontinued animal testing in 2008 but it’s false. In October a TikToker, Sam McGraw, with almost 400,000 followers shed light on the truth about the Laneige lip mask. She makes videos with her rescued beagle Ted who spent the first 5 years of his life in an animal testing lab. She talks about what life is like for Ted now that he is free, and the brands she uses in her cruelty-free lifestyle. 

Beagles are the most commonly used in testing labs. Facilities double as puppy mills; those animals are born in there and spend every second of their lives unless rescued within nothing else but that facility. Even most feminine hygiene products are not cruelty-free, along with so many things you wouldn’t even think twice about. Cruelty-free is affordable, and once educated even over time turning cruelty free is the best option. The more we go against non-cruelty-free items the more cruelty-free items we will be provided.

People become selfish when it comes to the topic of animal testing. Yes, you love this product, but yes they do animal tests. Most people will just continue to use the products and support the companies even with that knowledge. Especially with Laneige being so popular, I know people will ignore it and continue to use it. That is the reason so many companies still get away with this inhumane act. If people actually boycotted products then there would be a change. They would either have to stop testing or stop producing all together. 

Laneige product user and broadcast journalism student Lauren Amodei says, “I think that with the knowledge that so many people have about it, the companies should stop because they could get shut down.”

Even though Lauren acknowledges the abuse and problem with this she also feels like when it comes to repurchasing it really depends. “It can be hard to replace some things especially if it’s the only thing that works for me.” She believes a lot of people will have that mindset as well.