There are very few countries that require animal testing on cosmetics. China is the largest market to have a any kind of requirement on cosmetic animal testing.
But even China’s laws on animal testing have changed in recent times and since 2021 ‘ordinary’ cosmetics can be legally sold in the country without risk of animal testing.
A bill was passed in Russia designed to phase out all animal testing on cosmetics and their ingredients by 2020. This doesn’t appear to have been completed as of yet.
There are 41 countries that have banned animal testing on cosmetics in its totality. These countries are:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
And Brazil – 8 out of 26 states (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuca, Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso du Sol, Pará and Paraná) – and USA – 8 out of 50 (California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and Virginia) – have partial bans on animal testing for cosmetics.
There are multiple countries that haven’t completely banned animal testing on cosmetics.
Government regulations in certain countries haven’t moved with the times and taken into account the efficacy, cost reduction and overall safety of animal testing alternatives.
These governments – mainly China – still define animal testing as the safest way of determining whether cosmetics and their ingredients are safe for human consumption. Which, as of 2022, is simply untrue. There are multiple alternatives that are in fact more effective at predicting ingredient and product safety.
And this is just one type of alternative that is more effective. There are multiple others that are – at a minimum – equally as effective as animal testing.
41 countries have banned animal testing, just 21% have this ban in place.
2. How many countries require animal testing on cosmetics?China is the only country with a nationwide imposition on cosmetic animal testing. Even though this is changing slowly.
Russia also mandates some animal testing on cosmetics, but it is very unclear which, why and how.
