Is Botox vegan?
Millions of people worldwide use Botox, making it one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States. Now that 7% of the UK population calling themselves vegan, the question of whether Botox cruelty-free increasingly raised.
However, a wrinkle-free and more youthful appearance through cosmetic procedures often comes with a price, and it paid by the suffering of thousands of animals each year, as most beauty fans are unaware that they are contributing to animal suffering.
So, before vegans engage with Botox, they have to consider the following:
What is Botox?
Butulinum toxin, known as Botox is a popular drug used to improve the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles. When injected for cosmetics purposes, the chemical blocks signals from the nerves to the muscles, causing the muscle to relax and winkles to disappear.
Although side effects such as headache, chills, fever or bruising and swelling at the injection site can occur, when injected correctly and in small amounts Botox considered safe. However, the effects are not permanent and usually only last between three to four months until the body is able to rebuild new nerve endings.
Is Botox suitable for vegans?
Vegans who wish to engage in cosmetics procedures have to consider that Botox prepared by using an egg base. In addition, doctors advised not to administer the substance to anyone suffering from an egg allergy as it could trigger an allergic reaction.
However, more important the fact that, while most fillers and Botox themselves made without any animal products, the chemical not cruelty-free as it has tested on hundreds of thousands of mice beforehand, making them subject to a slow and agonising death.
How Botox tested on animals?
In most countries Botox considered a medicine. This has created a legal loophole as products that initially developed as medicine not covered by the ban on cosmetic testing in the European Union and elsewhere. Consequently. Butulinum toxin products still tested on mice before it used for humans.
With the explosive demand for cosmetic procedures in recent years. The numbers of animals used for the potency testing of this product remain at record level. A recent study estimates that approximately 400,000 mice in Europe alone are killed each year for the anti-wrinkle treatment.
Using a controversial LD 50 poisoning test. The mice injected with different doses of butulinum toxin products in the abdomen. Causing them respiratory distress, as well as substantial pain that leads to paralysis, impaired vision, and a painful death.
The Road to Cruelty-Free Botox Success
While the use of animal testing and experimentation in medical research has long been a concern for animal welfare groups. There have been large improvements involving the animal testing for Botox- type products. By switching to cell- based tests, the market leader and manufacturer, Allergan is said to be working to reduce its testing on animals by 95% while the German company Merz, as well as the French manufacturer Ipsen have also received an approval for humane cell-based assays. However, despite animal friendly tests are available, testing on live animals continues to claim innumerable lives.
Are there any alternatives for vegans?
Fortunately for those who are looking for healthier, vegan alternatives. There are many cosmetic companies that are turning their backs on animal testing.
One of them is Frownies, a company that sells facial patches that help to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles. Established in 1889 the pioneering beauty company only uses natural ingredients that are vegan, cruelty-free, and painless to create small, paper-like patches that are said to combat wrinkles by restraining the muscles from constant facial movements such as frowning and squinting.
Laser treatments are another vegan-friendly alternative to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, encouraging collagen regeneration. However, vegans advised making sure that the numbing cream. Which usually applied beforehand does not contain animal products.
Add to those the countless anti-aging skin creams that are available on the beauty market, including the vegan-friendly Botox alternative cream V-Tox or the PETA approved 100% Pure Wrinkle face Mask.
With a large variety of vegan-friendly beauty products available today. It is easy to find a Botox alternative that is not only healthier for your body. But also for the animals and the planet.
