Sunday 23 March 2014

Alternatives to animal testing of cosmetic ingredients

12 days ago was the one-year anniversary of complete prohibition of animal testing for cosmetics in the EU.

A quick background summary:
2003 -  the Directive 2003/15/EC introduced provisions in relation into animal testing into the Cosmetic Directive 76/768/EEC
2004 - animal testing for cosmetic products was prohibited
2009 - animal testing for cosmetic ingredients was prohibited
2009 - marketing of cosmetic products containing ingredients which have been tested on animals was prohibited (testing was still allowed for repeated-dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity and toxicokinetics)
2013 - complete ban on marketing of finished cosmetic products & ingredients in cosmetic products which were tested in animals for cosmetics purposes (even if no alternative tests are available!)

How, then, do scientists assess the safety of chemicals without testing them on animals?
Check out this video by the EURL ECVAM (the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing).



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