A new European Union law has banned the sale of any new cosmetics which contain ingredients tested on animals. The new ruling bans marketing in the EU of any animal-tested cosmetics developed after 2009, or in some case, 2013.
Consumers will not notice the difference in products immediately as products that were produced before the ban are currently allowed to remain on shelves. However, testing on animals like mice, rabbits or guinea pigs has now been prohibited.
European Commissioner in charge of Health & Consumer Policy, Tonio Borg, confirmed that: “Today’s entry into force of the full marketing ban gives an important signal on the value that Europe attaches to animal welfare. The Commission is committed to continue supporting the development of alternative methods and to engage with third countries to follow our European approach.”
Although, the EU issued a ban on finished cosmetic products in 2004, the cosmetics industry discovered there were still loopholes on certain tests. Activists now hope that the European ban will set a benchmark globally for products that are tested on animals.
Cosmetic products that were tested on animals included cleaning products, perfume, soaps, bath and shower products, sunscreen and toothpaste. According to the Huffington Post, four countries, Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic and France were still using animals for cosmetic testing.
However, the ban was not welcomed by all involved; the European trade body for cosmetics claimed that the ban came too early and without any real alternatives to animal testing for safe products.
It’s a good day for the little furry ones though…
