China Will End Mandatory Pre-Market Animal Testing in 2021

Effective January 1st, 2021, animal testing will be removed as a mandatory measure for imported cosmetics entering the Chinese market.

“Imported ordinary cosmetics such as shampoo, blusher, mascara, and perfume will no longer have to be animal tested for eye and skin irritation in Chinese laboratories,” said Humane Society International in a statement.

The new regulations would mean that pre-market testing is no longer necessary for new products, though testing is still a possibility in post-market or in “special” products like hair dye. The law won’t be set in stone until it passes through a period of public review, but experts are confident.

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“The signals are very strong, there’s no reason to believe we’re not on that trajectory,” said Troy Seidle, Humane Society International Vice President of Research and Toxicology. “All the language is encouraging.”

In the wake of Covid-19, China has turned its eye toward animal rights, ending wild animal consumption in Wuhan, banning the farming of dogs, and calling for increased wildlife protection.

If passed, the new measures will be significant — ordinary cosmetics make up the bulk of imported personal care products in China.