Botox Cuts 95% of Animal Tests.

After making one of the largest investments in cruelty-free cosmetics research ever, the makers of Botox have announced that their scientific advancements will eliminate more than 95% of the company’s animal testing.

Allergan, the makers of Botox, injected $65 million into scientific research aimed at reducing and eliminating the use of animals in experimentation. Their investment paid off with the creation of in vitro cell culture tests that satisfy FDA standards. The new in vitro tests will eliminate more than 95% of the company’s animal testing over the next three years. This translates into thousands of animals lives spared over the next few decades.

Botox has been widely criticized by animal rights advocates for their use of LD50 animal tests. LD50 tests are used to determine the lethal dose (LD) of a substance. The LD50 is found by giving animals more and more of the substance until only 50% of the participant animals die. The LD50 is one the most inefficient and cruel animal testing methods in existence and, thanks to their recent advances, is one that Botox no longer uses. 

A huge step in the right direction for Allergan and Botox. Perhaps in 50 years their legacy will be more about what they did to reduce animal testing in the cosmetics industry and less about how many faces they’ve helped paralyze.