Following reports that animal testing for cosmetics could once again be allowed in the UK, we look at what that could mean for the future of the cruel and unnecessary practice. 

It was reported last week that the UK government is considering bringing back animal testing for cosmetics ingredients. 

Animal testing for cosmetics was banned in the UK in 1998, and it is currently against the law to test any ingredients or finished products on animals in this country. 

According to a report published in the Guardian last week, however, the Home Office has told campaign group Cruelty Free International (CFI) that the government has ‘reconsidered its policy’.

The report states that this reconsideration was made in response to a decision by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) last year that some cosmetics ingredients must be tested on animals for supposed safety reasons.

The ECHA ruled that Symrise, a German chemicals firm, must carry out animal experiments on two widely-used ingredients used solely in cosmetics to satisfy chemicals regulations. This decision overrules the current EU restrictions on animal testing for cosmetics.

In a letter seen by CFI, the government said that it would be aligning itself with the decision, which could lead to wider use of animal testing. 

The report is extremely concerning and could potentially signal a huge backwards step in the hard-won rights for millions of animals abused in unimaginably cruel and often completely pointless experiments. Here’s everything we know about what it could mean for the future of animal testing in the UK.

Will animal testing for cosmetics return to the UK?

While the law on animal testing for finished products doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy, the report claims that the government is considering re-allowing it for cosmetics ingredients.

A government spokesperson said: “Under UK regulations to protect the environment and the safety of workers, animal testing can be permitted, where required by UK regulators, on single or multiuse ingredients. However, such testing can only be conducted where there are no non-animal alternatives.”

Dr Katy Taylor, CFI’s Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, said: “The government is saying that even ingredients used solely in cosmetics, and with a history of safe use, can be subjected to animal tests in the UK.

“This decision blows a hole in the UK’s longstanding leadership of no animal testing for cosmetics and makes a mockery of the country’s quest to be at the cutting edge of research and innovation, relying once again on cruel and unjustifiable tests that date back over half a century.”

Kerry Postlewhite, CFI’s director of public affairs, told the Guardian that the letter signalled that the UK will not hold firm on their animal testing ban after Brexit. 

There are around 100 cosmetics-only ingredients that could be subject to animal testing under chemicals regulations, according to Dr Julia Fentem, head of the safety and environmental assurance centre of Unilever.

As well as skin and eye irritation tests, Fentem adds that chemicals legislation could require additional animal tests, including on the effects of the ingredient on a developing fetus. 

In the letter sent to CFI and seen by the newspaper, the government said it would “publicly clarify its position now with the formal publication of an updated policy and regulatory guidance”.

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What is the current law on animal testing for cosmetics in the UK?

Animal testing for cosmetics was banned by the Labour government in 1998, and it has since then been against the law to test any ingredients or finished products on animals in this country. 

Soon after outlawing the practice, the UK government sought to extend the ban to other EU countries. In 2004, the EU banned animal testing of finished cosmetic products, and it subsequently banned animal testing for ingredients of cosmetic products in 2009. 

In March 2013, the EU banned sales of cosmetic products that had been tested on animals, or contain ingredients that were.

What is animal testing for cosmetics? 

Animal testing, particularly for cosmetics, is a highly controversial practice among the mainstream population - and disproval of it is by no means limited to vegans and animal rights campaigners. A survey from UK charity Frame in 2020 found that 84 per cent of respondents would not buy a cosmetic product if they knew that the finished product or one of its ingredients had been tested on animals. 

While the practice is widely condemned, it is nevertheless very well-hidden - and many people will be unaware of just how horrific and cruel it is.

As explained by the Humane Society: "Typically, animal tests for cosmetics include skin and eye irritation tests where chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of rabbits; repeated oral force-feeding studies lasting weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards, such as cancer or birth defects; and even widely condemned ‘lethal dose’ tests, in which animals are forced to swallow massive amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death".

Heartbreakingly, rabbits are most prevalent in animal testing in part because of their docile personalities - meaning, essentially, that they are relatively easy to abuse. Other animals typically used in cosmetics animal testing include mice, rats, monkeys, dogs, and Guinea pigs.

Does animal testing for cosmetics work? What are the alternatives?

Animal testing is not only unimaginably cruel, but also largely pointless due to the fact that it’s less effective than the rapidly-growing number of alternatives.  

There has been a huge amount of research into non-animal alternatives to testing cosmetics in recent years, which has led to an influx of innovative methods - including the study of cell cultures, human tissues, and computer models - that are both cruelty-free and more reliable. 

According to CFI, chemistry and cell-based alternative methods have been shown to accurately predict human reactions more than 90 per cent of the time. In contrast, allergy tests in guinea pigs and mice predict human reactions 72 per cent and 82 per cent of the time respectively.

Draize skin irritation tests, which are conducted on rabbits on a shaved patch of their fur, predict human skin reactions just 60 per cent of the time. Using reconstituted human skin, however, does so around 86 per cent of the time. 

What is the future of animal testing for cosmetics?

Thankfully, many countries have in recent years either banned - or began the process of phasing out - cosmetics animal testing.

As well as the EU, it is banned in countries including India, Israel, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.

China, which had previously required that all imported cosmetics were tested on animals, announced this year that they would scrap this rule for the majority of products (with the exception of items like hair dyes, sunscreens, and anti-hair loss products).

The UK were the pioneers behind the global shift away from cosmetics animal testing, and the suggestion that we could be about to take steps to reintroduce the practice is a terrifying and tragic move in the wrong direction. 

Polly Foreman is a writer and digital journalist based in London. Since going vegan in 2014, Polly has stood firmly against all forms of animal oppression and exploitation. She is passionate about tackling misconceptions of veganism and challenging accepted norms about the way we use animals in this country.

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