The safety of a cosmetic is a key assessment aspect before it is placed on the market by the Responsible Person. In the past, the safety of ingredients that were part of a cosmetic formula or even the safety of the final cosmetic mixture was also assessed using animal tests in order to have predictive information for use on humans. When analysing the safety of cosmetics, these tests involved the use of animals such as rabbits, due to their high availability and reproductive capacity, and could cause considerable suffering. Cosmetics tested on animals had a high safety profile but with ethical implications felt by both consumers and the cosmetics industry itself.
Therefore, in the European Union the practice of cosmetic testing on animals has been out of use since the 1980s, but a definitive ban came through European Regulation 1223:2009.
Cosmetic testing on animals: what does the legislation say?
Since March 2009, most animal tests have been banned in the European Union, with the exception of those assessing repeated use toxicity, reproductive toxicity and toxicokinetics. For these latter tests, a complete ban on the sale of cosmetic products containing ingredients tested on animals for cosmetic purposes was triggered in 2013, after the compliance time granted to manufacturers had elapsed. This absolute ban, however, only applies to the European Union where the regulation is valid, while outside the Union testing is permitted, although for decades the scientific community has been working on validating numerous alternative tests.
Today, there is the possibility of specific analyses of cosmetics and alternative tests that allow the safety assessment of the final products, with a view to ethical respect for animal species. Alternative methods to animal testing can be partially or fully substitutable.
Annex VIII of the Cosmetics Regulation 1223:2009 lists alternative methods validated by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM).
Our ‘No’ to animal-tested cosmetics
Cosmoderma is a cosmetics manufacturer operating in the European Union and in compliance with all regulatory requirements. Given its history in the sector, Cosmoderma has accumulated specific and in-depth knowledge of the safety of raw materials and has partner laboratories to carry out all relevant specific analyses, depending on the type of cosmetic product and its end use. The cosmetic products made in Cosmoderma’s production workshop have been non-animal tested for decades, while there has always been a high level of collaboration with raw material suppliers for the selection of non-animal tested ingredients.
The high level of attention to the consumer and continuous updating on scientific advances in the cosmetics sector enables Cosmoderma to offer the market cosmetics that are not only effective, and safe and tested using alternative testing methods, in compliance with current legislation.