Canada bans animal testing of cosmetics and joins a list of nations and American states. According to the Humane Society International, regulations prohibiting the use of animals in cosmetic research have been adopted in a total of 44 nations. New York, Virginia, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Maine, Hawaii, Nevada, Illinois, and Maryland are the other ten US states that have outlawed the practice.
The statement was made by the Canadian government in a news release, which stated that Bill C- 47 would alter the Food and Drugs Act to outlaw both the use of animals in cosmetic product testing and the selling of goods based on the results of such testing. Canada bans animal testing of cosmetics.
“Protecting animals now and in the future is something that many Canadians have been called for and something we can all celebrate” quoted Canadian Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos.
Animal Testing
Animals have long been used in toxicity studies for cosmetics, such as swallowing or breathing chemicals or having chemicals applied to their skin or eyes. The Animal-Free Safety Assessment Collaboration of the Humane Society International, however, emphasizes that these studies are not only pointlessly cruel but also ineffective when compared to other approaches like computer modeling or experiments utilizing human cells.
Following its initial presentation in the House of Commons in April and receipt of royal assent on June 22, Bill C-47 solidified Canada’s commitment to cosmetics made without the usage of animals.
Alternatives
The Canadian government is also planning to find “effective alternatives to animal testing”. Health Canada is actively working for animal rights and welfare.
Notably, “toxicity tests” entailed training animals to consume or inhale certain chemicals, or to have the poisons applied to their skin or eyes.
The legislation includes a number of revisions, one of which prohibits animal experimentation for cosmetics. The bill’s wording specifies-
“No person shall sell a cosmetic unless the person can establish the safety of the cosmetic without relying on data derived from a test conducted on an animal that could cause pain, suffering or injury, whether physical or mental, to the animal” and that “No person shall conduct a test on an animal that could cause pain, suffering or injury, whether physical or mental, to the animal.”