Canada moves further to ban cosmetics testing on animals

In January 2022, Cosmetic Alliance (CA) and a representative from their allied stakeholder coalition met with Health Canada (HC) officials to discuss the ban of cosmetics testing on animals in Canada. HC is currently working on publishing a policy to end cosmetics testing on animals.

According to CA, the proposed policy is based on three points which are:

·       It should align with the ban of cosmetics animal testing in the European Union (EU).

·       It should fit and be workable within the Canadian regulatory framework.

·       It should be drafted by Health Canada.

There remains a lot of work for the government to do regarding the publication and implementation of this policy. However, it is expected that the government will want to have the initiative completed by August 2023 when the International Congress on Alternatives to Animal testing will be hosted in Canada at Niagara Falls, Ontario.

There is no universal ban on animal testing for cosmetics, however, many countries are moving in this direction. In September 2021, Mexico banned animal testing of cosmetics products, in addition to about 42 other nations. In the United States, seven states have implemented this ban while other states consider doing the same.