Stop the Torture of Animals for Cosmetics

UPDATE (2/27/25): The Humane Cosmetics Act, H.R.1657, has been reintroduced in the 119th Congress by Representative Don Beyer (D-VA).

Every year, millions of animals endure horrific, torturous experiments just to make cosmetics.

These tests include dripping chemicals into animals' eyes, shaving their fur and rubbing chemicals onto their exposed skin, forcing chemicals down their throats, and many other unimaginable forms of cruelty. When the tests are over, the animals that survived the initial torture are slaughtered and dissected. Half a million animals, including rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, and rats, die as a result of these experiments each year.

What’s worse is that animal testing is both unnecessary and unreliable when compared to modern, cruelty-free alternatives. For example, tests used to assess whether cosmetics are carcinogenic require around 400 animals per test, yet they are only 42% accurate at identifying human cancers. Skin allergy tests performed on guinea pigs are only 72% accurate for predicting human reactions—and they’re entirely outdated. Today, scientists can grow human skin cells using in vitro technology, allowing for far more relevant and humane testing methods.

Alternative methods that use simple organisms like bacteria, tissues and cells from humans, and sophisticated computer models or chemical methods are cheaper, more reliable, and don’t involve the torture and killing of animals.

Countries around the world, including every country in the European Union, Australia, Mexico, and India, have acknowledged that this cruelty is unnecessary and have banned the use of animal testing for cosmetics. In the U.S., twelve states have passed laws to end the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. However, because there is no national legislation that bans this type of animal testing, cosmetic companies in the United States are still legally allowed to perform invasive tests on animals.

Fortunately, there are national legislators who have decided to take a stand against this horrifying practice. A bipartisan delegation, led by Don Beyer (D-VA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Nanette Barragán (D-CA), reintroduced H.R. 1657, the Humane Cosmetics Act of 2025, H.R.1657, on February 27, 2025.

This bill would ban the production and sale of animal-tested cosmetics in the United States and save countless animals from suffering and dying at the hands of a greedy and heartless multi-billion-dollar industry.

Take Action Now:

Please join Species Unite in urging the House of Representatives to do the right thing and pass the Humane Cosmetics Act of 2025.

Further Action:

Please also consider reaching out to your congressional representative about this bill. You can use this link to find your Congressperson. Simply type in your zip code, and your state representatives will appear. Scroll to the bottom of the list of photos until you see the one labeled “Representative,” then click the contact link. This will take you to their individual contact page, where you can fill out an online form asking them to support the Humane Cosmetics Act of 2025 (H.R.1657). You can send a note as simple as:

Dear Representative [INSERT NAME],

I am your constituent, and I am requesting that you become a cosponsor of H.R.1657, the Humane Cosmetics Act of 2025, to help save millions of animals from cruel and unnecessary torture at the hands of cosmetic companies. Cheaper, more accurate, cruelty-free alternatives exist and to oppose those is to oppose both scientific progress and economic development. States around the country have already voted to ban this practice. A national ban on animal testing for cosmetics is the final push our country needs to bring this industry into the 21st century. Please do your part to help get this bill passed.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]