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The End of Animal Testing?
Did you know that the growing beauty industry is worth an astonishing £28 billion market?! The booming business of beauty is a global industry! But not all brands have been forthcoming with entering their cosmetics onto the Chinese market. Evidently, getting your beauty line onto the Chinese market is almost a guaranteed way to get your brand recognised globally. The one significant issue holding many brands back is China's controversial animal testing laws. Even if cosmetics have been proven safe beforehand, China still requires any products sold there to be tested on animals first. But just this year, the IIVS (the Institute for In Vitro Sciences) announced that China has approved nine cruelty-free testing methods that do not involve testing on animals. The new legislation will come into full effect from January 2020. The Institute for In Vitro Sciences has been working closely with the Chinese NMPA (National Medical Products Association) to introduce a more modern approach to cosmetics testing in order to move away from animal testing.
China Lifts their Historic Law on Animal Testing on Cosmetics
For years it has been compulsory that cosmetic brands agree to have their products tested on animals in order to sell their products in China. China is still one of the only places where animal testing is actually compulsory. There is a lot of confusion over the subject of animal testing. Some brands are vegan or organic but might be tested on animals. Other brands are not tested on animals but might not be vegan. Then there are the big, mainstream brands that openly agree to their products being tested on animals so that they can do business in China. While animal testing is actually illegal in Europe, products by brands that agree to China's animal testing requirements are still sold within EU countries. Many of those well known brands have also come under scrutiny quite rightly, for not being completely transparent on their animal-testing statuses. They've been known to release statements such as "We do not test on animals except for when required by law." This is kind of misleading because it sounds as though they do not permit animal testing, when in fact their products are tested on animals and sold in China. It also makes the brand appear innocent and naive in all of this, despite them actively making the move onto the Chinese market knowing full well what that entails.
What Does this Mean for the Future of Animal Testing on Cosmetics?
Obviously this is great news for the beauty industry and of course, animal welfare! I am thrilled at the news and hope that this really does mean an end to animal testing because let's be honest - it has taken long enough! I started supporting cruelty-free brands back in 2015 but still have so many half-used and unused products by brands that no longer align with my ethical beliefs. I continue to use them because throwing them away is waste, which is a whole other ethical issue. However, I've not purchased any unethical products since my cruelty-free lifestyle change back in 2015. I'm not going to get childish and say that products by brands that agree to animal testing are awful because they're not. I just can't support a brand that willingly agrees to the kind of brutal tests that go on in animal testing labs. If you'd like to learn more about some of the amazing cruelty-free brands I love and give my money to, read here.
Suffering from ethical anxiety? Why not consider online counselling where you can talk to somebody about your worries.