Procter and Gamble descendant proposes bill to stop the type of animal testing P&G has done

A descendant of the founders of Procter and Gamble, a multi-billion dollar consumer goods company, is proposing legislation in the Ohio House to stop cosmetics testing on animals. P&G, although saying they are mainly cruelty-free now, continues experimenting on animals.

Plenty of makeup is tested on animals like rodents — and dogs and cats — something state Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) wants to change.

“Some of this stuff is just inhumane, sick and unnecessary,” Carruthers said. “A lethal dose test involves forcing rats to swallow large amounts of chemicals until the subject dies, so that you can determine the dose that causes death.”

She and state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) introduced House Bill 495, which would stop the majority of animal testing for cosmetics sold in Ohio.

Not only would this save animals, but it would also help the economy — since consumers want cruelty-free products, Carruthers said.

The vegan cosmetic market is growing exponentially, in part because of Generation Z’s interest in “ethically sourced products,” according to UNiDAYS, a popular student shopping app that conducts market research.

But Carruthers’ background is what made her interested in animal rights.

“My great, great grandfather did it — they did use animal testing,” she said.

Carruthers is a descendant of the founders of Cincinnati-based company Procter and Gamble, and she wants companies like hers to stop animal experimentation. Although her family still has some influence, they no longer have a vote in the company policies and have no position on the board. She says her family no longer owns any part of the corporate giant, but their Procter-side of the family continues to be a fixture in the Cincinnati area.

I reached out to P&G whose spokesperson said in a statement that their PETA cruelty-free brands are not tested on animals. However, that is a small percentage. They have 79 brands, and only 13 are on the PETA-certified list.

“P&G has invested over $480 million in non-animal test method development over decades and is partnering with groups like PETA and the Humane Society International & US, working closely with governments to end animal testing globally,” the company said.

Some countries still mandate testing on animals, they added.

A significant portion of their products are made in China, according to 2018 testimony given to the U.S. Trade Representative, and Chinese regulations require testing on products like toothpaste, hair treatments and anything with sunscreen in it, like a moisturizer or foundation.

I asked for a multitude of clarifications on their “cruelty-free” policy, including data backing up their statements of being anti-animal testing. They were not addressed in their short statement.

It isn’t just the United States and China that they have plants. They have factories on all continents, minus Antarctica. Some locations have rules against animal testing, some require it, and others have other types of restraints — such as Japan, which holds each “institution responsible for self-regulation,” according to researchers.

“Let’s go for made in America, right?” Carruthers said. “We have modern testing methods like human cell-based tests, sophisticated computer models.”

But bioethics expert and law professor at Case Western Reserve University Sharona Hoffman says the change could be a huge blow to medical advancements.

“Computer modeling is not a substitute for all animal studies — and also you have to worry about the expense,” Hoffman said.

This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.

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