The Chinese Food and Drug Administration has announced a proposal to abolish animal testing on domestically manufactured cosmetic goods.
Domestically manufactured everyday products such as shampoo, skincare and perfume will no longer be required to be tested on animals as of July 2014. The Chinese Administrator calls for the industry to assess the safety of a substance based on toxicological profiles of the included ingredients. This is a similar procedure to the Cosmetic Product Safety Report under the EU Cosmetic Regulations.
As a follow-up of this proposal, China will consider adopting a similar procedure for imports and ‘special-use’ cosmetics.
“This breakthrough will mean that the last global regulatory body that required animal testing is ready to accept alternatives. While we are awaiting details and final confirmation of the draft, potentially this could transform the situation in China for ethical cosmetic companies who have refused to sell in China,” said Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International.
“This shows what can be done when animal protection oraganisations, industry and the Commission all work together. We also expect this to help our work in Japan, Korea and other countries which are also moving towards an end to the archaic approach of cosmetic animal testing.”
China currently requires all domestic and international cosmetic products to be tested on animals in government labs before going out to the consumer, forcing many brands to adhere in order for their products to be available in the lucrative Chinese market.
For more information on animal testing visit www.crueltyfreeinternational.org