Meeting the global challenge A guide to assessing the safety of cosmetics without using animals Second edition 2017 With grateful thanks to The Body Shop for funding the second edition of this guide to testing the safety of cosmetics Contents products and ingredients without the use of animals. 04 About us 06 Introduction to the report 07 Global overview of regulatory progress 08 The benefits of using alternative methods 08 The public does not support the use of live animals 09 Alternatives are usually cheaper and faster than the animal test they replace 09 Alternatives are usually more reliable and accurate than the animal test they replace 10 Product testing requirements 11 Ingredient testing requirements 12 Standard toxicity tests and their alternatives 14 Skin absorption 14 Acute toxicity 15 Skin irritation/corrosion 16 Eye irritation/corrosion 17 Skin sensitisation 18 Mutagenicity/genotoxicity 19 Repeated dose 20 Non-standard toxicity tests and their alternatives 22 Phototoxicity 23 Carcinogenicity 24 Reproductive toxicity 25 Endocrine disruption 26 Toxicokinetics 28 Conclusion 29 References Meeting the global challenge 3 About us Photo credit: Philippe Gotteland at EpiSkin Cruelty Free International is the leading organisation The Body Shop working to create a world where nobody wants or believes we need Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Anita Roddick, The Body to experiment on animals. Its dedicated team are experts in their Shop is a global beauty brand. The Body Shop seeks to make a fields, combining award-winning campaigning, political lobbying, positive difference in the world by offering high-quality, naturally- pioneering undercover investigations, scientific and legal expertise inspired skincare, hair care and make-up produced ethically and and corporate responsibility. Educating, challenging and inspiring sustainably. The Body Shop pioneered the philosophy that business others across the globe to respect and protect animals, it investigates can be a force for good and this ethos is still the brand’s driving and exposes the reality of life for animals in laboratories, challenges force. The Body Shop has more than 3,000 stores in more than 60 decision-makers to make a positive difference for animals, and countries. champions better science and cruelty free living. Widely respected as an authority on animal testing issues, it is The Body Shop was the first international beauty brand to campaign frequently called on by governments, corporations and official bodies against the practice of animal testing in cosmetics in 1989, leading for advice or expert opinion. Building relationships with politicians, the way to a European Union-wide ban on animal testing in 2013. business leaders and officials, analysing legislation and challenging This on-going campaign, conducted in partnership with Cruelty Free decision-making panels around the globe, it acts as the voice for International, went on to collect 1 million signatures and triggered animals in laboratories. significant progress across the Asia Pacific region. The Leaping Bunny A UN ban on animal testing for cosmetics The Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny is the most trusted In June 2017, The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International launched cruelty free certification for non-animal tested products. It is the only a new campaign, Forever Against Animal Testing. Together they are international guarantee that companies will not carry out any animal working to achieve a resolution for a global ban on cosmetics animal testing for their products in any country in the world. testing by 2020, revolutionising the beauty industry and protecting millions of animals around the world. In the first two months of their The Leaping Bunny logo is issued for use by companies which campaign they collected 2 million signatures and in 2018 they aim to produce cosmetics, personal care, household and cleaning products take the campaign to the highest authority, the United Nations, with which comply with the rigorous Leaping Bunny certification criteria. 8 million petition signatures, to request an international convention More than 700 companies across the globe already hold Leaping banning cosmetics testing of both ingredients and products on animals. Bunny certification, providing real choice for ethical consumers who www.thebodyshop.com/ban-animal-testing want to identify and buy products that are free from animal testing. 4 Meeting the global challenge Meeting the global challenge 5 Introduction to the report Global overview of regulatory progress Over the past 30 years, public pressure to tested cosmetics to countries with a marketing Public opinion and consumer demand for cruelty free products end the testing of cosmetics on animals has ban are impossible, it is important for countries have been driving forces behind the global trend towards increased around the world and cosmetics where a ban is not yet in place to provide a way the phasing out of animal testing for cosmetics and the animal testing is now banned in a growing forward for their domestic industry. development of innovative alternatives. number of countries. Most notably, the European Union – the world’s largest cosmetics market1 The second edition of this ground-breaking The map below depicts the international state of play at time – ended the testing of cosmetics products in report explains the current position for each of writing. With momentum building ever-faster for a global 2003, the testing of ingredients in 2009 and, in safety test. It will help governments, politicians, ban, please contact Cruelty Free International for an up-to-date 2013, the sale of any new cosmetics that have regulators and cosmetics manufacturers across overview of the current situation. been tested outside the EU on animals. Norway, the world switch to alternatives to replace Iceland, India, Israel, Turkey, New Zealand, animal testing, giving them the confidence that Guatemala, Serbia and Switzerland also now the safest and most modern methods are used prohibit the use of animals for cosmetics testing. and that by moving away from obsolescent A phased approach to ending testing is in place technology, access to European and other in Taiwan and South Korea. Other countries - markets is possible. including the United States, Australia, Canada In the report, Cruelty Free International describes and Brazil - are currently considering legislation the alternative approaches that are available, that would see an end to cosmetics testing on and shows how they are not only more ethical animals. Discussions on transitioning to modern but also more reliable, faster and cheaper than alternatives are also underway in countries such the animal tests they replace. as Japan and China. The report explains what alternatives are, how Largely driven by the EU’s 2013 deadline and cosmetics are tested for product and ingredient regulatory changes occurring in other parts of safety and which alternatives can be used to the world, research into technologies that replace replace each traditional animal test. The report animal testing by the cosmetics industry and then outlines the alternatives for both ‘standard’ governments has stepped up. As a result, there and ‘non-standard’ animal tests. ‘Standard’ tests are now alternatives for the most commonly are those most commonly required by national required safety tests for cosmetics and many regulators for general purpose cosmetics of these are now recognised internationally. ingredients. ‘Non-standard’ tests are not usually For tests where alternatives are not recognised a routine requirement for cosmetics, but might internationally, further animal tests can still be be triggered when consumer exposure is avoided depending on the type of ingredient and expected to be particularly high or the ingredient its intended use. is expected to have biological activity. The Bans in place: report provides a summary of the validated European Union 28, Ethical concern has been the driver for this Norway, Iceland, positive change, and governments can take and, in many cases, internationally accepted, Other progress: Serbia, Israel, Bans in transition: Bans under comfort from the fact that the animal tests alternatives to these tests on a test-by-test basis, Argentina, ASEAN, India, Switzerland, Australia, South consideration: traditionally used in the past to ensure the safety and includes an overview of how new animal Viet Nam, Thailand, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan Brazil, USA, Canada tests in non-standard cases can be avoided. Russia, China of cosmetics now have practical and reliable Turkey, Guatemala, non-animal alternatives. Since exports of animal- San Marino, Liechtenstein 6 Meeting the global challenge Meeting the global challenge 7 Consumers prefer to buy cosmetics that have Alternatives are usually more The benefits of using alternative not been tested on animals: reliable and accurate than the • UK (2004): 79% of people said they would animal test they replace methods be likely to swap to a brand that was not animal tested if they discovered that their Modern alternative methods are required to existing brand was tested on animals.9 go through a rigorous validation process to demonstrate they are as or more effective than • USA (2011): 32% of people said they had the animal test they replace. The performance of Alternative methods are tests that use simple • Norway (2002): 81% of respondents have a purchased products labelled as “not tested the alternative is compared to human responses organisms