California Aims to Ban Animal Testing on Cosmetics Sold in the State

California lawmakers are attempting to fight against animal testing with legislation introduced by Senator Cathleen Galigiana of Stockton. This legislation would ban the sale of any animal-tested cosmetics throughout California. It’s formally called the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act (SB 1249).

After January 1, 2020, the bill would make it illegal for “any cosmetic manufacturer to knowingly import or sell any cosmetic, including personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, or conditioner, in California if the final product or any component of the product was tested on animals…”

California has made strides in fighting animal testing since 2000, when the state made it illegal to use animals for testing when an “appropriate alternative method is available.”

Galgiani hopes to continue setting an example to other states and the country as a whole. “California has long been a leader in promoting modern alternatives to animal tests,” Galgiani stated, “Inaction at the federal level compels California to lead the way.”

2018 has already been an extraordinary year for the fight against animal testing. First, California and Hawaii both proposed bans on the import and sale of animal-tested cosmetics. Then, the Body Shop worked on its Forever Against Animal Testing campaign, which has gathered over 4.1 million signatures, and according to Forbes, would make it “the biggest campaign for the cause in history.” The signatures go to the United Nations to propose an international ban on animal testing. Finally, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced plans to remove animals for the drug and chemical toxicity testing process, as it not only hurts and kills animals but often yields results that are completely irrelevant to human health.

Animal testing on household and cosmetic items was eliminated from the European Union back in 2009, with a 2013 follow-up, which banned the sale of any imported products that had been tested on animals.

And while many companies have eliminated animal testing on the production side, many companies still test on animals, specifically brands that are made in or sell to China, where animal testing is required by law.

Under the proposed legislation in California, brands including Clinique, Maybelline, Estee Lauder, and Benefit would all be forced to change their production methods, or be phased out of the state as they all produce items in China.