It all depends on what you want to do, etc. I make my soap and tolietries. You need to know what you want from the lotion or the soap, what type of oils to use, etc. I think I researched for a good 2 years before I even attempted to make my first batch. I have the whole rig, goggles, rubber apron, rubber gloves, bottle of vinegar for lye spills, etc. My husband calls our back room my lab. I've been lucky - no lye burns. But you have your good days and your bad. I remember one soap I made with pieces of loofah. Everyone was raving about having loofah in their soap. Well it was a disaster! Instead of a nice red and white swirl I got HOT HOT pink and white. Then I was trying to cut a 5lb block of soap into bars with these pieces of loofah that keep getting caught in the cutter. I had to just through the whole thing away.
As for the animal testing statement, I think Betty could be right. Some of the ingredients used to make the product may been tested on animals but the final product they are selling has not.
By the way did you know that if you sell soap, without making any claims like moisturizing, etc. you don't even have to list the ingredients on the package?