European ban on animal testing for cosmetics upheld

The European Court of Justice has decided there will be no exceptions to the ban on animal testing for cosmetics after the Federation of Cosmetics Ingredients took the case to court.

Alternative methods

The EFCI had hoped the European Union would accept trials that took place outside of the European Union, a request backed by the French government. In specific cases, it had hoped to do trials on European soil as well.

However, the European Court of Justice decided there would be no exceptions: not a single product can use animal testing, even outside of the European Union. If anyone does decide to use animal testing, then that product cannot be sold in Europe.

The European Union hopes to motivate companies to find alternative methods to test their products’ safety. Cruelty Free International and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments have both already expressed their delight at the Court’s decision.