Animals no longer have to die for our aesthetics. Each year, more than 100 million animals die from chemical, drug, and cosmetic testing, says PETA.
Most people know that animal testing is dangerous, but what they do not know is that it fails 90 percent of the time, causing pain and suffering of animals.
Research has shown that animal testing is outdated, and does very little for consumers. Since animals and humans are different species, testing on animals is not as effective as testing on humans, making these “tests” irrelevant to humans.
In the first week of September, California Legislature passed a bill that will ban the sale animal-tested products in the state. This law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. With the uprising of animal activism in recent years, the demand for ethical products has skyrocketed.
The California bill, known as SB-1249, bans cosmetic products defined as “any article intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduce into, or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance, including, but not limited to, personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, or conditioner.”
Not only will products tested on animals be banned, but also products that contain animal ingredients, making every brand vegan by default. Vegans and animal lovers will no longer have to spend time trying to figure out the microscopic symbols on the back of packaging. This means less work for the consumer, and more money for the business, as the consumer will be more eager to spend money on said product.
So whether or not you feel strongly about animal activism, you no longer have a choice. Brands like L’oreal, Clinique, and Makeup Forever will either have to stop testing on animals, or stop selling their products in California, which would be a terrible business choice. Even prestige brands like Gucci and Versace have taken the step to ditch animal fur.
Before now, cosmetics have been largely unregulated in the U.S. There is not currently an official agency in charge of ensuring beauty products are safe to use and ethically produced, according to Allure. So not only have we been killing animals, but we have also been doing a disservice to our own health. This bill will make makeup safer for both humans and animals involved.
California Senator Cathleen Galgiani said in a statement, “I’m proud of California lawmakers for moving science, industry, and ethics forward today. Cruelty-free cosmetics are good for business, safe for humans and don’t harm animals.”