The Cosmetics Directive ban on animal testing
In 2003, as part of a major amendment to the European Cosmetics Directive, a number of bans were introduced relating to the testing of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients using animals. A number of specific dates as key milestones were set.
The first milestone was September 2004 when a complete ban on animal testing of finished cosmetic products was imposed by European Union (EU) legislation. The European cosmetics industry had already moved away from testing cosmetic products on animals some time before this and in the UK animal testing has not taken place on both cosmetic products (since 1997) and their ingredients (since 1998). Voluntary initiatives by the UK cosmetics industry to surrender all licences were followed by announcements from the Home Office[1] that no more licences for cosmetics testing would be issued.
In 2003, the European cosmetic legislation also set down the process by which animal testing for cosmetic ingredient safety purposes would be phased out in the EU.
The rolling bans: key milestones
The Amendment of 2003 also introduced a “rolling ban” on animal testing for cosmetic ingredients, whereby the performance of a particular animal test would be banned as soon as a validated and accepted alternative testing method became available. The milestone after which no animal testing is permitted in the EU, whether or not an alternative method is available, is 11 March 2009. Find out what is meant by a “validated and accepted alternative” here.
At the same time, a similar “rolling ban” was introduced to phase out the marketing of cosmetics in the EU if the finished cosmetic product or its ingredients have been tested on animals after corresponding designated “cut-off” dates. This marketing ban applies to testing performed anywhere in the world for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the EU Cosmetics Directive.
The development of alternatives is scientifically a difficult task and some tests are more complicated to develop than others; therefore, the marketing ban has been imposed in two stages. The first milestone is 11 March 2009 for “short-term” tests. A further milestone of 11 March 2013 was set to allow for the development of the more complicated “long-term” tests.
The cosmetics industry sees consumer safety as of paramount importance and is also committed to the search for alternatives to the use of animals. Industry’s efforts are based upon five key principles:
Commitment
The cosmetics industry has a long-standing commitment to the replacement of animal testing and to playing a leading role in the development of alternatives by dedicating funding, time, resources and scientific expertise to this area of research.
Contribution
The cosmetics industry is a global pioneer in research into alternative methods and is proud of its investment in developing alternatives to ensure human safety.
Achievements have already been made and the cosmetic industry’s endeavours have led to five alternative test methods being developed and validated; these are made available to all industries to be used in the place of animal tests. Research into alternatives is by no means complete and further efforts are focused on developing alternatives to replace those other tests affected by the 2009 ban and to replace the more complex “long-term” tests in the run-up to 2013.
Member companies of the European cosmetics industry trade association, Colipa, have dedicated 25 million Euros to a research programme for developing alternative approaches for systemic toxicity testing. The European Commission has matched this amount, taking the total sum of this joint investment to 50 million Euros [2].
Find out more about the industry’s achievements and future research plans, here.
Collaboration
The cosmetics industry has been researching alternatives for over 20 years and in order to co-ordinate industry’s efforts, Colipa, set up a Steering Committee on Alternatives to Animal Testing (SCAAT) in 1992.
As well as collaboration between cosmetic companies, alliance between industry sectors is essential to the effective development of alternative approaches. In 2005, the European Partnership for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EPAA) was launched to promote collaboration between the European Commission and major companies from several industry sectors. The cosmetics industry plays a leading role in the EPAA and currently nineteen out of thirty seven corporate members are cosmetics companies.
The cosmetics industry is not the only industry sector to benefit from the development of alternatives. Scientists from other industry sectors such as the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries are all legally obliged[3] to use alternative methods where they exist.
In order to promote the use of non-animal alternatives internationally, the cosmetics industry also works closely with its partners in other world markets such as the United States, Canada and Japan.
Find out more about the cosmetics industry’s collaborating partners here.
Co-operation
The cosmetics industry has been working towards the elimination of animal testing for cosmetics for a long time, co-operating in the successful implementation of the EU law and working towards a common-goal of ensuring safety without using animals. The industry has co-operated with the authorities over the milestone dates.
Work is ongoing to develop alternative methods by the dates of the key milestones. After the 11 March 2009 milestone, the industry will not halt in its search for alternatives to the tests subject to this ban. The 2013 milestone poses major scientific challenges and the cosmetics industry is working closely with its key partners to address these challenges.
Confidence
The cosmetics industry is dedicated to taking part in the huge scientific challenge of developing alternative methods and is confident that, in time, research efforts will allow for continued innovation and safety assurance of cosmetic products, without the need for animal testing.
Where can I find out more?
[1] Press releases announcing the end to animal testing for cosmetic products and their ingredients in the UK are available from the Home Office website.
[2] Read a joint News Alert from the European Commission and Colipa on their initiative to match research funds to develop alternative approaches to animal testing in the area of systemic toxicity.
[3] Council Directive of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes (86/609/EEC).
Read an interview between CTPA (the UK cosmetic trade association) and Naturewatch.
For more information about replacing animals in experimental research visit the FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments) website.
Read “Working together to replace animal testing” published by Colipa, the European cosmetic trade association in 2009.
Visit the Colipa website for more information on alternatives.
