Imagine all the animals that were tortured to produce the products you see on the shelves at Sephora or CVS. Animal testing is a serious issue that is usually silenced because animals have no voice. Some people might say we need animal testing to make sure the makeup we put on our faces is safe to use. However, with all the technology we have these days, I know we can find a more civil way than tormenting innocent animals. People must wake up and act about this pressing issue that is occurring all around the world today.

There has been a viral video on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube about an animated bunny named Ralph going through his day of being tested on for makeup products. He explains that his whole family had been used in animal testing and died because of it. He is blind in one eye, deaf in one ear and has chemical burns down his back that hurt when he breathes and moves. The video has over 13 million views on YouTube and that does not even include the number of people who have seen it on other social media platforms. The Humane Society of the United States created this video in the hopes that some people would realize how many animal lives have been taken away just to give us some eye shadow.

Every year around 100 million animals suffer and die as a result of animal testing. The animals currently in laboratories worldwide include rats, dogs, guinea pigs, mice, cats, hamsters, birds, fish and monkeys. “U.S. law allows animals to be burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged.” Peta.org said. It is absolutely sickening that humans do this to animals when they should be in nature with the rest of their species enjoying the gift of life. Animal testing is cruel and completely unfair. Animals feel pain in the same way humans do; the only difference is they cannot tell us the amount of pain they endure daily.

There are dozens of makeup brands that sell cruelty-free products, including BareMinerals, Too Faced, Kylie Cosmetics, Glossier, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and so many more. All you must do is make sure that before you buy a product it has the symbol of a leaping bunny and then you know that no animals were harmed in the making of that specific product. This is a very simple thing to change in your life, but it is a huge deal for the animal whose life you saved.

Even the smallest action of donating to get rid of animal testing or buying cruelty-free products at the store does save lives. Animals cannot talk, but we can sympathize with them because we would not want to go through what they do. So, remember, the next time you put makeup on your face, think about the innocent animals that had to die and go through agonizing pain to make you look prettier.