Topic: Skin care and animal testing
Animal testing in skin care: Why it’s not necessary
Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products are manufactured at WALA Heilmittel GmbH. We began using natural ingredients and growing biodynamic botanicals for our natural remedies in 1935. The responsible and sustainable development and manufacture of our products has been at the core of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care since their beginning in 1967. Today, we are proud to carry on this philosophy.
Naturally, this also means that no animal tests have ever been conducted by or on behalf of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care since our founding in 1967.
Though Dr. Hauschka has always refused animal testing, the EU regulation of March 11, 2013 banning testing of skin care products and raw materials on animals represents an important step forward for animal welfare in the skin care industry as a whole. This ban is legally binding, which means all skin care made and sold within the EU must comply with the legislation.
How do we guarantee that Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products are safe and non-irritating?
All the ingredients that go into each of our products are evaluated for their safety and skin compatibility. This includes analyzing ingredients’ toxicological properties. We review all available data in the literature, as well as legal requirements, specifications, official recommendations and empirical (observational) values. Our carefully crafted selected ingredients maintain required specifications from their origin through to their use in the final product and are deemed safe as an ingredient in the concentrations used.
Third party dermatological tests are far more informative than tests on animals.
In addition, we conduct third party dermatological tests on volunteers before launching any new skin care products. These tests must affirm that all our products are hypoallergenic and compatible with the skin. We believe tests on actual users to be far more informative than tests on animals.
There has been great progress in recent years on development of alternative methods for testing and assessing the safety of skin care products. Today, more next generation risk assessment (NGRA) tests are available for ensuring the safety and compatibility of skin care ingredients and products without animal testing.
Alternative methods to animal experiments are conducted in vitro; Latin for “in glass”. These are tests performed in a test tube – usually on cell cultures, instead of on living beings.
Dr. Hauschka Skin Care is recognized on PETA’s list of “companies that don't test on animals” available on the PETA website: Beauty without Bunnies | Search for cruelty-free skin care.
As manufacturers of high-quality certified natural skin care, WALA Heilmittel, GmbH believes we have a special ethical responsibility. Through our biodynamic cultivation of plants, certified organic and Demeter farming ensures we treat animals and our planet in a humane, sustainable and responsible manner. Our range also includes many options for vegan skin care.
Skin Care Safety and Information Department of WALA Heilmittel, GmbH
Do you have any questions? Please contact the WALA Heilmittel, GmbH Skin Care Safety and Information Department directly:
Tel.: +49 (0)7164 930-518
kosmetiksicherheit@wala.de
