The Cosmetic Surgery industry is one of the fastest growing in the UK, with the adoption of non-surgical treatments, such as Botox and Dermal Fillers, estimated to be the top cosmetic procedures performed today. But how much do we really know about our favourite anti-wrinkle injections? And why are we as a nation so eager to consume these products in mass quantities without fully understanding all of the implications?

It is well known that Botox, or Botulinum toxin, is one of the most lethal poisons known to man. However, one fact which is less publicised is that Botox is widely tested on animals in the UK. In fact, every batch of Botox produced, under a variety of commercial names such as Vistabel®, Dysport® and Neurobloc®, must be tested for its level of toxicity before being made available to the public. This is despite a Government ruling in 1998, which made it illegal to employ animal testing for cosmetics in the UK, as well as a ban on cosmetic toxicology testing across the EU in 2009.

Paul Singh, the director of the CosmeticHealth.Net, an online provider of independent expert cosmetic surgery advice, explains “Most people are unaware that Botulinum toxin has a vast range of genuine medical uses and has been used in medicine since the early 1800’s. The UK’s government agencies such as the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) officially recognise Botox as medical product and not a cosmetic one. Hence, as a medical product it is allowed by law to be tested on animals”.

However, the application of Botox for cosmetic reasons, rather than medical ones, is not illegal, as Singh describes “Under current regulations, Botox can only be administered as a prescribed medicine, but it is at the physician’s discretion as to what medical condition they choose to use it for. With the huge increase in demand over recent years, more and more medical practitioners are using Botox for cosmetic purposes. Such cosmetic use of Botox is known as ‘off-label’, whereby a medicine is used in a way which is not what it was licensed for”.

Each batch of Botox is tested for its toxic potency under the toxicity test known as the LD50 test, the full name of which is ‘Lethal Dose 50 Percent Test’. In this test, several animals, such as laboratory mice, are injected with a dosage from a single batch of Botulinum toxin. As the name of the test suggests, the purpose of the LD50 is to test the dosage of a particular batch Botox that kills 50% of animals who are administered that particular batch. As part of the Botox animal testing, animals continue to be injected with the toxin until the test is able to determine how much Botox is required to kill 50% of the animals. The Botox animal test asses the effects of Botox on the animal over a period of several days, whereby the animals, typically around 100 in number, experience severe muscle paralysis. Eventual death occurs due to muscle failure and an inability to breath.

For several years, animal rights campaigners have identified the need for the government to impose tighter restrictions on Botox animal testing for cosmetic purposes, which have continued well after the government ban was put in place. The UK’s largest animal welfare campaigner Animal Aid have highlighted concerns that the Botox LD50 test is both crude and produces grossly ineffective results by stating “Apart from the devastating impact on the animal victims, the LD50 test is also a betrayal of people who imagine that Botox cosmetic treatments have undergone proper safety tests. This is not the case.”

In recent years, it seems that the UK has been undergoing an ‘ethical revolution’ where we have seen a vast increase in the public’s desire for individuals and organisations to conform to certain ethical standards and to show a greater transparency in their daily conduct. These ethical demands by the general public also appear to span across all organisational boundaries. This is evident in our rising concern over a variety of industries, from free range or organic produce, to better transparency in MP's expenses, and even the carbon footprints of our holidays. However, the Cosmetic Surgery industry is one on which public scrutiny has yet to leave its mark. While the case for animal testing of Botox for medical purposes continues to be accepted as a viable source of scientific research, it seems that the UK’s government, as well as its people must now re-evaluate it’s stance on the increasing number of animals that are suffering and dieing simply to aid the nation’s insatiable desire for smoother skin.

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