Sales of Animal Tested Cosmetics Banned in Europe
This is another good day for animal welfare. Today 11th March 2013, sales of animal tested cosmetics are banned throughout the European Union (EU). This follows on from a ban on animal testing of cosmetics in the EU in 2009.
The earlier ban still allowed cosmetics that had been tested in countries outside of the EU to be sold within the EU. This latest ban hammers the final nail in the coffin of a reviled process.
Ban on animal testing of cosmetics. Photo by www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk
To be frank, how animal testing of cosmetics ever got off the ground in the first place is beyond me. There is absolutely no justification for it, whatsoever.
Cosmetics under this ban (legal definition) includes:
- anti-wrinkle cream
- sunscreen
- deodorants
- shampoos
- hair sprays
- colorants
- shaving creams
- toothpaste and
- mouthwash
On a financial level (the Eurozone) the EU is a mess in my candid opinion. I made that clear in an earlier post.
However, there is some good in the plethora of regulations and directives that are handed down from the law makers at the Commission, which is one of the bodies of the EU, and this ban is definitely one of them.
You could argue it is long overdue, but better late than never. The next goal must be a total ban on all animal testing for whatever purpose. It is a concept that has had its day.