Loopholes denounced in the EU law against testing cosmetics on animals

In mid-March the European Union implemented its long-awaited ban on animal testing for both finished cosmetic products and their components, and on marketing of cosmetics that have been tested on animals. A few days after this new Directive came into force, the British activist Michelle Thew went to Brussels to demand greater control by the EU and to denounce “loopholes” in the legislation. 

Thew, on behalf of the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), urged the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament to do more to eliminate those loopholes that still allow tests of this kind to be carried out within the EU, mainly destined for third countries. 

"We want our companies to stop animal testing on products for third countries, including China," said Thew to the MEPs. 

The activist, CEO of "Cruelty Free International", also stressed that the current legislation only prohibits the testing of chemicals that are present exclusively in cosmetics. This, explained, produces "loopholes" that allow laboratories to test substances in cosmetics but also in other types of products. According to Thew, the EU should play a more active role in this issue. 

To strengthen its petition, the ECEAE -which comprises 24 organizations in favour of animal welfare from 22 Member States- submitted over 220,000 signatures. 

Following Thew's intervention, British MEP Keith Taylor, a member of the Greens/EFA parliamentary group, called the European Commission to find ways to prevent these loopholes and to encourage non EU countries to join the ban on animal testing. 

"No animal has to suffer so that we can have a new face cream or another lipstick," said. 

Prior to this Directive, cosmetics tested on animals were of all kinds, from colonies desodorodantes, shampoos or gels, to mouthwash, shaving creams, eye shadows, bath salts or tanning creams. The aim of these tests was finding out if any of the chemicals involved was toxic, carcinogenic or promoter of side effects such as skin irritation or genetic alterations.

Tags: Animals, Biodiversity, Biology, Chemistry, Environment, Research