New York, the 10th State to Ban Cosmetic Animal Testing

10 states in the US have officially banned the sale of cosmetic products tested on animals.

Modern technology has rendered animal testing completely inexcusable, as human-based cell tests and computer modelling serve as sufficient safety provisions for new cosmetic products. Additionally, many ingredients that are found in cosmetics have a long history of being safe for humans.

Whilst these technologies are useful inventions, it was arguably always immoral to use animals for testing prior to technological innovation. Many of us enjoy makeup, moisturisers, and revitalising hair treatments…but are such non-necessities worth the imprisonment and torture of our fellow fauna?

As of January 2023, the New York Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act will be instated. Other states that are doing the same include Hawaii, Nevada, Illinois, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Maine.

The US ‘Humane Cosmetics Act’ came into congressional discussions back in December 2021, with the desired impact of unifying the entire country to improve their legislature on animal rights.

Companies that have supported new nationwide legislature include The Body Shop, Unilever, H&M and Paula’s Choice. The ‘Animal-Free Safety Assessment (AFSA)’ is a collaborative creation of the Humane Society, with major brands like LUSH and L’Oreal, to push laws protecting animal rights, and to educate companies and consumers on alternative industrial practices.

On the global stage, 42 countries have updated their legislature to prevent the sale of cosmetics that are tested on Animals. This includes every country in the European Union, Australia, Colombia, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK and much more. However, some of these updated laws do not completely prevent the sale of cruel cosmetics, so the battle is far from over.

Article written by Aisling Geraghty- Australia