As an example, many people eat animal products. There are a small minority that still wear furs and a vast number of people take medicinal products in the full knowledge that they may well have been perfected and safety tested through animal experimentation.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with people in these categories is a matter of personal viewpoint, but what can't really be disputed is that in the majority of the above cases the people concerned have made a choice.

It isn't really possible to buy and wear a 'real' fur without being clear that the making of it probably involved killing an animal. Similarly with many foodstuffs such as meat or fish, one can't really eat them without knowing that they come from animals.

Even with prescribed medicines, although a pill or liquid doesn't immediately communicate its origin, this whole area receives such constant publicity in the media that for me at least it would be difficult to believe that most people do not understand that animal testing is probably involved at some stage.

In the case of synthetic cosmetics though, the position is different. The power and financial influence of the major global corporate cosmetics companies is truly awesome. Their advertising budgets are vast and the TV and papers are constantly full of their publicity and 'positive spin' ads. What is even more interesting is that large numbers of these ads and articles try to link their product to 'nature' and 'natural' ? cue the images of forests, waterfalls, beautiful models frolicking on a pristine beach and cuddly pet animals sitting on a couch watching admiringly as their owners apply whatever the product is.

Although there is some negative publicity and media comment about the realities of certain synthetic cosmetic production processes, this is often totally submerged and drowned by the outpourings of the mega-companies and their vast budgets.

I think this is a great pity because as a result the consumer can fail to understand two critically important things:

Some synthetic cosmetics are based upon artificial compounds that may involve animal exploitation during testing

It isn't necessary! There are natural cosmetic products available that do not involve the creation of artificial chemical compounds and their subsequent testing on animals.

It is true that many major cosmetic manufacturers now say they do not test on animals. It is also true that the European Parliament plans to ban cosmetic animal testing in 2009, but this is not entirely the whole story. Many of the chemicals used in synthetic products are sourced from third-party companies where the guarantees are far less clear. If these companies are outside of the EU then those humane laws may be difficult to apply.

The easy way to avoid indecision and uncertainty is to look for those cosmetic products that are based upon 100% natural ingredients and which offer a 'no animal testing' guarantee. You can be sure that no animal has had to suffer for your convenience.