EU Bans Sale Of All Animal-Tested Cosmetics

Ban comes after 30 years of campaigning by high-profile celebrities

The EU has implemented a ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals.

In 2009 a ban was introduced on cosmetics that were animal tested inside the EU but this new law now extends to world testing. Before the 2009 ban around 2,000 animals were still being tested on across Europe in countries such as France, Spain, the Czech Republic and Romania.

This ban comes after 30 years of campaigning backed by high profile celebrities such as Leona Lewis, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais and Sir Paul McCartney

The EU and the anti-vivisection group BUAV are now advocating a global ban on animal testing. Furthermore RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant added: ‘We will now be taking our message to these countries and companies to ask them to follow our lead and end this suffering.’

Tonio Borg, the European Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Policy, stated that the ban ‘gives an important signal on the value that Europe attached to animal welfare.

‘This is a great opportunity for Europe to set an example of responsible innovation in cosmetics without any compromise on consumer safety', Borg added.

However some European based cosmetic firms fear the opposite, worrying that this new animal testing ban could put them at a competitive disadvantage in the global market as they argue it restricts product innovation in the industry.

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