03/11/21 Despite the ban, cosmetic ingredients are still being tested on animals
They call on the European Commission to maintain the 2013 ban on animal cosmetics testing
- More than 460 cosmetic brands and animal protection organizations: Use non - animal methods!
Although animal testing was banned in the European Union eight years ago, as well as the sale of cosmetics that rely on such tests, it is shocking that cosmetic ingredients are still being tested on animals! Horrified by this, the European umbrella organizations for animal protection Cruelty-Free Europe, the Humane Society International Europe, PETA and the Eurogroup for Animals and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), of which Animal Friends Croatia is also a member, have joined forces to call on EU authorities to revoke new requirements for animal testing and to ensure the safety of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients using exclusively non - animal methods.
In an open letter directed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in December of last year, which was signed by 463 cosmetic brands and animal welfare organizations, cosmetic brands pointed out they could use non-animal methods to provide safety to both consumers and workers in the cosmetics industry and that many ingredients already have a long history of safe use. Animal welfare organizations have emphasized the strong support of European citizens for a ban on animal testing, urging authorities to comply in line with the intention of legislators in 2013 and in line with the European Parliament's support for the global abolition of animal testing.
Ending the outdated reliance on animal experiments, the Cosmetics Regulation has encouraged the development of superior non - animal testing methods and set the gold standard for similar initiatives around the world. However, it has since become clear that the Regulation is not being respected in the way promised to EU citizens and that animals continue to suffer and die in the testing of new cosmetic ingredients.
Animal Friends Croatia explains that cosmetic ingredients are tested on animals in the EU under industrial chemicals legislation, known as the Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). "Recent decisions by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), supported by its Board of Appeal, that, for example, a company must test two UV filters used only in cosmetics on animals, confirm that ECHA considers that, according to REACH, animal tests are allowed even for ingredients used exclusively in cosmetics. This approach seriously undermines the Regulation on cosmetic products," warns the Association.
They add that the immediate suspension of animal testing requirements for ingredients used exclusively in cosmetics would allow the industry to cooperate with regulators and decision-makers. It would encourage them, instead of subjecting thousands of animals to further suffering because of cosmetics, to show that they can achieve safety with the tools offered by modern approaches without the use of animals.
They conclude that it is extremely important for all authorities to come together to address this issue as the new EU sustainability strategy in the field of chemicals could lead to additional animal testing for ingredients used in cosmetics and other everyday products.
Animal Friends Croatia would like to thank everyone who buys vegan cosmetics that have not been tested on animals and thus does not participate in animal cruelty, clearly demanding the complete ending of animal testing of both the products and their ingredients.
![rabbit used for cosmetics [ 674.60 Kb ]](/data/image_3_14857.png "rabbit used for cosmetics [ 674.60 Kb ]")
