China Plans to Phase Out Mandatory Cosmetics Animal Testing

MEDIA RELEASE

11 November 2013 

CHINA PLANS TO PHASE OUT MANDATORY COSMETICS ANIMAL TESTING

SAFE’s Be Cruelty Free campaign partner Humane Society International (HSI) is celebrating a major victory after China announced a reversal of its policy of compulsory animal testing of cosmetics.

China's Food & Drug Administration has announced that from June 2014, China plans to remove its mandatory animal test requirements for domestically manufactured cosmetic products. For the first time ever, Chinese companies producing "non-special use cosmetics" such as shampoo or perfume will have the option to substantiate product safety using existing safety data for raw ingredients, or European Union-validated non-animal tests instead of having to submit product samples to the government for testing on rabbits, mice and rats. HSI estimates that as many as 300,000 rabbits, mice and other animals may be subject to cosmetics chemical testing each year in China alone.

The CFDA's announcement comes less than five months after the successful launch of the groundbreaking Be Cruelty-Free China campaign. Troy Seidle, HSI's Be Cruelty-Free director, said: “This news from China marks a major milestone in our campaign and could constitute a significant watershed moment in our global effort to end cosmetics animal testing worldwide. HSI's team has prioritised efforts to transform the future for animals in laboratories in China. This development is only the beginning of what we hope to be a paradigm shift towards 21st-century science without animals."

Initially the new rules will only apply to cosmetics manufactured in China. However, CFDA has stated that once the new system has been established, it may be expanded to include imported products and certain “special use” cosmetics as well. This would be a major step towards removing trade barriers between China and the EU, enabling cruelty-free companies worldwide to sell their products on the Chinese mainland without compromising their 'no animal testing' policies.

Be Cruelty-Free China is part of the largest campaign in the world to end cosmetics animal testing globally, including New Zealand. A poll released last week showed that 88.9 per cent of New Zealanders support a ban on cosmetics testing on animals.

ENDS

© Scoop Media