No suffering for beauty: New York bans animal testing in cosmetics

19 Dec 2022 --- New York has become the tenth US state to prohibit the sale of cosmetics tested on animals after Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act into law. Under the terms of the Act, the sale of cosmetics newly tested on animals will be prohibited in the State of New York from January, 2023. Instead, manufacturers will have to use widely available non-animal testing methods. Cosmetics currently on sale will remain available.

Animal protection and advocacy group Cruelty Free International worked with Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Alessandra Biaggi as the bill passed through the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate with “almost unanimous” bipartisan support.

“More consumers than ever are demanding cruelty-free cosmetics,” stresses Assembly member Rosenthal, chair of the Committee on Social Services.

“More consumers than ever are demanding cruelty-free cosmetics,” stresses Assembly member Rosenthal.“For decades, animals have suffered painful, cruel and unnecessary experiments in the development of cosmetics, despite the existence of alternative methods that do not involve animal testing.”

“With this new law, animals will no longer be harmed in the service of humans’ pursuit of beauty,” she continues. “I am proud to have worked with Cruelty Free International in passing this legislation into law and look forward to seeing more states follow in New York’s footsteps.”

New York joins California, Nevada, Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, Virginia, and Louisiana in passing cruelty-free cosmetics laws.

“US history has shown that state activity leads to changes at the federal level,” remarks Monica Engebretson, head of public affairs North America at Cruelty Free International. “Because of New York’s association with the fashion and beauty industries, passing the New York Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act could be the tipping point that leads to the passage of a federal Humane Cosmetics Act.” 

The eventual passing of the Humane Cosmetics Act would phase out animal-based testing for cosmetic products in the US in favor of cutting-edge testing methods, and eventually prohibit the local sale of cosmetics tested on animals in other countries.

Animal-free launches on the rise
The cruelty-free positioning continues to gather pace as consumer scrutiny of brand ethics propels formulators to rethink testing the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics and other personal care items on animals.

Recent analysis by Provenance demonstrates that 79% of shoppers have doubts about the trustworthiness of the environmental sustainability and social impact claims of beauty and wellness brands.

Many celebrity-led products released this year sport the cruelty-free tag, with recent examples including Billie Eilish’s Eilish No. 2 fragrance launch; new makeup lines by Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga and Stella McCartney; and Nyx Professional Makeup’s latest vegan palette inspired by the film Avatar.

In Europe, an EU-wide petition to ban animal testing recently closed in September, with 1,413,383 EU citizens signing the a cruelty-free cosmetics pledge.Next to moves to eliminate animal testing, Innova Market Insights highlights that the use of vegan claims in personal care launches increased globally, featuring a 36% year-over-year growth when comparing 2021 and 2020 launches.

The Vegan Society forecasts that the animal-free cosmetics industry will climb to a worth of US$21.4 billion by 2027. Of more than 60,000 products registered with the Vegan Trademark globally, 45% of all registrations belong to the cosmetics and toiletries category.

“After decades of activist and public demand to stop companies from using animals to test their products, New York has finally joined the list of forty countries that have taken a stand against this harmful practice,” comments Senator Biaggi.

“Protecting the safety of humans by testing cosmetics is extremely important, but does not mean that animals must serve at their expense for our well-being. Animals serve as a means for unconditional love and support, and should never have to face abuse or unsafe conditions. New Yorkers have made it clear that we will not tolerate their mistreatment.”

Personal care industry voices support
The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), a trade association representing US-based cosmetics and personal care products companies, spoke out in support of the New York Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act. 

PCPC’s 600 member companies represent more than 90% of the US beauty industry.

“Our work with Cruelty Free International and other key stakeholders is critical in our advocacy for legislation that helps us protect animal welfare while supporting modern approaches to assure safe and innovative products that consumers trust and enjoy every day,” comments Lezlee Westine, president and CEO of the PCPC.

In Europe, an EU-wide petition to ban animal testing recently closed in September, with 1,413,383 EU citizens signing the Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics/End Animal Testing European Citizens’ Initiative, demanding an end to the practice.

Last May, Unilever warned that the progress on banning animal testing for good was experiencing a “backward slide.” The company flagged that the European Chemicals Agency allowed loopholes for new animal tests.

By Benjamin Ferrer