But the trend is apparent and it’s clear that it will be very hard to run a cosmetics business in the future using animal testing methods, as more and more markets move out of reach.”, “Nobody wants to be known as the last major cosmetics company that still thought it necessary to cause animal suffering,” he adds. Indeed, according to a 2016 report by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), over 250 cosmetics brands — including Avon, Neutrogena, Guerlain, L’Occitane, MAC Cosmetics, Vidal Sassoon and Mary Kay — still use this practice, affecting what the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) estimates to be over 27,000 animals each year. Animal testing can be gruesome and cruel. This is a very debatable point. Cosmetic animal testing is banned i… 80% of Countries Allow Animal Testing for Cosmetics. But change is afoot. L'Occitane, Yves Rocher and Caudalie are among the big brands that have previously had their Leaping Bunny certifications retracted for this reason. The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), which regulates the region’s drugs and medical devices, made the announcement on its website. Such testing is now only required for specific products, including hair dyes, perms, straightening treatments, deodorants and sunscreens. Animal tests are familiar, even if they’re flawed.” But Dr Hajime Kojima, who heads up the Japanese Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods, believes change is on the way. However, over the years, many animal rights groups have come up and fought against animal testing. “Cosmetics companies, including Estée Lauder and Clarins, have policies on their websites stating they do not test on animals anywhere in the world — except when required by law. © 2021 The Business of Fashion. China remains one of the few countries in the world to require animal tests for beauty products. However, special use cosmetics manufactured in China and foreign cosmetics imported to China require mandatory tests at an approved facility… And guess what they use for the test….animals! India, Israel and Norway followed suit a year later. Site Map According to Anja Hazekamp, Dutch politician and member of the European Parliament, 80 percent of the countries across the world still allow animal testing. Cruelty Free International estimates that more than 500,000 animals are used worldwide in cosmetics testing each year. Required by law animal testing means that the brand is allowing animal testing to occur on their products due to various laws and regulations around the globe. While there are newsworthy articles about countries vowing to stop animal testing in cosmetics, there is still a very long way to go! Government regulations in many countries require toxicity testing on animals as a condition for the importation or sale of pesticides, industrial chemicals, drugs, medical devices, vaccines, genetically modified foods, and some consumer products. The EU recently instituted a full ban on all animal testing for cosmetic products, and sales and imports of animal-tested beauty items are prohibited by law. Unfortunately, animal testing on cosmetics does not always lead to the release of new cosmetics. “We have always avoided using newly invented chemicals and ingredients,” says Hilary Jones, ethics director at cosmetics company Lush. Japan is another tricky market. China is one of the countries of the world that requires animal testing on cosmetics, so one would assume that animal testing is being done, at least in that area. In vitro testing — using test tubes and models based on human cell and tissue culture — is also growing in popularity. Since the EU is a huge market for all manufacturer… One of the biggest problems lies with China, where cosmetics sales are worth $26 billion a year, and are expected to grow by 8 percent each year until 2017, making it the third-largest market in the world, according to research firm Euromonitor. “The more countries that end animal testing, the stronger the pressure on the remaining ones not to be left behind, especially as companies still conducting tests on animals will run into the European marketing ban.”, Cruelty Free International’s Leaping Bunny logo | Source: CFl. It’s hard to believe, but 80% of countries still allow animal testing for cosmetics products. Animal testing for cosmetics is relatively niche, accounting for an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 animals per year. After banning the sale of finished products tested on animals in 2004 and the use of ingredients tested in animals in 2008, in March 2013, European Union announced a full ban on both sale and import of cosmetics that are tested on animal or contain ingredients tested on animals. But that’s not all the good news. Meanwhile, 43 percent of respondents said they would be willing pay more for products that had not been tested on animals. Animal testing of cosmetic products and ingredients remains possible and is legally allowed in 80% of countries worldwide. Non-special use cosmetics manufactured in China do not require animal testing. Animal testing for cosmetics has been legal in most countries like the United States since 1938, when they introduced the Food-Drug-and-cosmetics Act. “We are seeing a snowball effect since the EU’s decision made regulators everywhere consider whether they need to change as well,” says Dr Nick Palmer, director of policy at Cruelty Free International, an organisation that advocates for animal testing bans. Considering it is the world’s largest beauty economy—20 percent of the global market—many brands aren ’ t willing to stop animal testing since they want to be able to market their products in China. 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There are over 40 countries worldwide so far, which banned or restricted animal testing on cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients but there is still a large part of the world where animal testing of cosmetics remains a practice. "Some countries still require animal testing of cosmetic products under their own laws. China will no longer require animal testing on imported cosmetics. Cosmetics animal testing | Source: Shutterstock. Some countries where Origins is sold require animal testing on all imported cosmetics as part of their regulator safety process. Several manufacturers say that they don’t do animal testing; however, they are req… The L’Oreal Group, which declined to comment for this article, owns major brands like L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline and Lancôme, and has been researching methods for creating artificial skin for testing products for several years. For more information read our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Ralph Lauren Sold Club Monaco. Testing using reconstructed human skin | Source: L'Oreal. Last year, the company partnered with bio-engineering manufacturer Organovo to 3D print human skin, so that its products could be tested without the use of human volunteers or animals. This means any cosmetic brand wanting to import and sell in China must consent and pay to have their products tested on animals by the Chinese government. In China, for certain cosmetics products, animal testing is not only legal — it is mandatory. The European Union, in 2013, passed legislation that instituted a ban on the sale of animal-tested products in It performs tests that are not necessary. What’s Next? One of the reasons, says Manfield, is convention. “This adds a further complexity to our processes, but we have been running the company based on this philosophy for decades. Although Japanese laws do not require animal testing for cosmetics, neither do they ban such tests. Have full or partial bans on cosmetics animal testing, including all European Union countries, Australia, India, Israel, New Zealand, Norway and South Korea. Animal testing is a form of experimentation needed to determine whether a cosmetic product is safe for use, though it has been proven to not be the most reliable method. “Countries are commonly adopting a phase-out, giving a few years for companies and the testing establishment to change over to non-animal methods. It’s 2019—How Many Beauty Products Are Still Tested on Animals? 3. Is China open to tests that don’t involve live animals? “While many of the world’s key cosmetics markets now have legislation in place or are under consideration, both the public demand and political momentum are only increasing,” adds Claire Mansfield, campaign director at Humane Society International (HSI), a leading animal welfare organisation. What that means is for beauty companies who sell in China is, even if their products are cruelty-free up until that point, they become complicit in supporting animal testing. The European Commission has been researching alternatives to animal testing since 1991, and in 2011 the European Union … LONDON, United Kingdom — Some cosmetics companies still use animals to test the safety of their products before they are released to the market. We estimate that the top 10 animal testing countries in the world are China (20.5 million) Japan (15.0 million), the United States (15.6 million), Canada (3.6 million), Australia (3.2 million), South Korea (3.1 million), the United Kingdom (2.6 million), Brazil (2.2 million), Germany (2.0 million) and France (1.9 million), in that order. Under the programme, brands that don’t test on animals can feature the organisation's rabbit logo on their products to show they have been certified — a practice that has grown in popularity with companies such as Burt’s Bees and Marks & Spencer. China is only one country in the world that requires cosmetic testing on animals for any beauty products sold there. The list includes the entirety of the EU, India, Israel, Norway, Taiwan, New Zealand, and São Paulo — and continues to grow. In the case of cosmetic animal testing, statistics suggest that 115 million animals worldwide … Indeed, the Chinese government currently carries out such testing for imported products, irrespective of the wishes of companies,” says Flower. Cosmetic testing on animals is a type of animal testing used to test the safety and hypoallergenic properties of products for use by humans. China is the only country that requires cosmetics to be tested on animals and they have the second-largest beauty market so it’s important we familiarize ourselves with their laws to ensure the cruelty-free companies we buy from in our … Celebrity Facialist Georgia Louse Just Released a Freeze Dried Skin-Care Tablet, 6 Steps to Achieve Glowing Skin, According to a Natural Beauty Guru, Want a Juice Cleanse for Your Face? As a result, companies that manufacture abroad must still test on animals. All rights reserved. The following information addresses the legal requirement for cosmetic safety and … The word "unnecessary" I think explains why animal testing still goes on unabated. As animal testing becomes a wider consumer concern and more governments implement bans, cosmetics companies are adapting. Consumers and manufacturers sometimes ask about the use of animals for testing cosmetics. It is part of our DNA.”. Alternatively, companies can ensure their cosmetics products are harmless to humans by simply using established ingredients. “There are quite significant implications on our supply chain when we purchase ingredients, because we have to receive signed declarations from our suppliers confirming that the materials we use have not been subject to animal testing,” says Christopher Davis, international director of corporate responsibility at The Body Shop, which has long avoided animal testing. In August 2015, a bill was introduced in the Russian parliament that would phase out all animal testing for cosmetics and their ingredients by 2020. The United Kingdom banned animal testing for cosmetics products in 1998, and many countries in the western world have followed suit. Despite that animal testing in cosmetics has proven to be inaccurate and inefficient, 80 percent of countries still have no laws against it—but you can help change that. In China, for certain cosmetics products, animal testing is not only legal — it is mandatory. “To be honest, many firms didn’t expect the European ban on cosmetics animal testing to go through as quickly as it did. “The global in-vitro market is projected to grow to about $9.9 billion by 2017 and this growth has been directly attributed to legislative policy decisions in the EU,” explains Mansfield. According to Chris Flower, director general of the UK Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfume Association (CTPA), more than 20 alternative test methods have been developed and validated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to date. It is this aspect of animal testing that has drawn an enormous amount of criticism, not just in the UK, but internationally. Animal testing alternatives Due to the harm done to the animal subjects, this testing is opposed by animal rights activists and others. Perhaps the time has come to follow in Europe’s footsteps. Animal testing is required in China because there are many instances of shoddy-quality and fake cosmetics products, particularly when it comes to imported goods that can be marked up at a higher margin. “These results should send a strong message to the cosmetics industry and to regulators,” says James Russo, senior vice president of global consumer insights at Nielsen. (Interestingly, cosmetics purchased on foreign e-commerce sites for delivery in China do not require animal testing). Israel was one of the first countries outside the European Union to introduce testing and marketing bans. It wasn’t until a decade later that I realized how much of Elle’s emphasis on animal rights (especially in. It is also illegal in New Zealand on domestically produced cosmetics, and the Labour party would like to see a ban on importing cosmetics tested on animals as well. Internationally, more than 40 countries have passed laws to limit or ban cosmetics animal testing, including every country in the European Union, Australia, Colombia, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and several states in Brazil. Currently, its laws require tests on animals for all imported cosmetics, excluding those that are sold via cross border e-commerce (CBEC) channel. In a notice, it stated that imported ordinary cosmetics would no longer be tested on animals as of May 1. “Pragmatically, we can’t expect the entire industry to change overnight," says Palmer. One thing that is clear and which does not need debating is the subject of animal testing to improve cosmetics. Chemicals are sometimes poured into the eyes of rabbits or applied to their shaved skin, while mice and guinea pigs are used to determine how much of a substance makes them sick — a process that can involve forced feeding, dermal exposure or inhalation. And it helped put animal cosmetics testing on the agenda in so many countries across the globe for the very first time. Methods include microdosing (where humans are given very low quantities of a substance to test its effects on the body at a cellular level) and non-invasive imagery techniques — such as MRIs and CT scans — as well as computational methods, including simulation models and virtual drug tests. Another cruelty-free alternative to animal testing are human skin equivalent systems, which can be used to measure the skin corrosivity and irritation of chemicals used in cosmetic products. Some analysts predict the 3D-printed skin industry could reach $1 billion in sales by 2020. That will depend on China’s comfort … Yet, these companies market their products in China where animals will die for any eye shadow or a lipstick,” says Mimi Bekhechi, UK director of Peta. Our pledge went into thousands of The Body Shop stores across 65 countries around the world. But there is still hope. Indeed, the French cosmetics giant has a large lab in Lyon, France, where it produces EpiSkin (a model of reconstructed human epithelium) from incubated skin cells donated by surgery patients. In June 2014, China relaxed its law on animal testing. Testing on animals is excluded from the Act because it seems to be deemed necessary in certain circumstances. Indeed, the Chinese government currently carries out such testing for imported products, irrespective of the wishes of companies,” says Flower. What's more, today, there are many alternatives to animal testing. 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Indeed, a Nielsen survey of more than 1,000 adults found that “not tested on animals” was the most important packaging claim amongst consumers of beauty products, with 57 percent of respondents selecting this over competing claims. “China remains one of the few countries in the world to require animal tests for beauty products, so removing this requirement for everyday cosmetics would be a game changer for cruelty-free beauty.” -HSI CEO Kitty Block In 2013, the European Union, the world’s largest cosmetics and personal care market, became one of the first regions in the world to ban animal testing for cosmetics. It is the largest and most ambitious campaign ever to seek a global ban on the use of animals to test cosmetics. And, last year, a host of countries, including New Zealand, Argentina, Turkey, São Paulo, Russia, South Korea, Canada and Taiwan introduced new laws and proposals aimed at eliminating animal testing. In other words, animal testing is not mandatory, but companies enforce it as a means of declaring their products safe. I grew up in the Elle Woods generation, when we were fed a steady stream of girl power on a sparkly pink spoon, and I ate it right up. China has a long history and a bad rap in the cruelty-free space of being one of the countries that require all imported cosmetics to be tested on animals. “That’s the way it’s always been done. China remains one of the few countries in the world to require animal tests for beauty products, so removing this requirement for everyday cosmetics would be a game changer for cruelty-free beauty. In fact, there are tests done, without products actually put into use. Animal Testing in China. Recently, the country has started to investigate methods to replace cosmetics animal testing with the assistance of British scientists — part of a growing cooperation between the two countries, which was formally agreed between David Cameron and China’s president, Xi Jinping, during a state visit to Britain in October 2015. Cosmetic testing on nonhuman animals is banned in the EU, Norway, India, and Israel. The good news is that other countries like the United States and Argentina are working on passing legislation of their own to ban cosmetics testing on animals. “Ultimately, we expect it to become an antiquated notion that no serious company will pursue.”, Why Instagram Still Isn’t a Shopping Destination, The Battle to Become ‘the Next Huda Beauty’, How L Brands Brought Victoria’s Secret Back From the Brink. "Some countries still require animal testing of cosmetic products under their own laws. However, it did go through and Japan has been pulled along into this new era,” he says. Due to certain local laws … They could also happen pre-market (before the products are available to consumers) or post-market (after the products are available to consumers). These laws may apply to ingredients, formulations, or finished products. On 3 May 2018, the EU Parliament urged for a worldwide ban on testing cosmetics on animals by 2023. As a whole, the cosmetics industry plays a very small role in animal testing at 0.1 to 0.5%, but the absolute number of animals that are tested on is large, and it is a topic that invites considerable controversy. “For us, it’s important that all of our business practices are inherently cruelty-free.”, But avoiding animal testing altogether comes with challenges. In an article from PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) dated June 7, 2013, a representative for the company was attending a meeting with Revlon and its executives. However, the change only affects companies that manufacture their products domestically. The 28 states of the EU were the first to ban animal testing of cosmetics products. There are some countries, such as China, where cosmetics animal testing is still a legal requirement for both the ingredients that go into cosmetic products as well as the final product. For concerned consumers, identifying beauty products made without animal testing has become easier in recent years, thanks to initiatives like Cruelty Free International’s Leaping Bunny certification programme.