Victory! New York Becomes the Tenth State to Ban Cosmetics Tested on Animals
The groundbreaking victory for animals comes after nearly 2,000 Species Unite supporters called on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the New York Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act into law.
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New York has just made historic progress to protect animals from cosmetics testing, thanks to a measure signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul.
The Assembly Bill A5653B, also known as the New York Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act, will prohibit the sale and manufacturing of cosmetics that have been tested on animals. It is expected to go into effect in January 2023.
The news comes just days after Hochul approved a ban on the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores in New York.
Prior to passing on 15 December, the bill was strongly backed by Species Unite, with nearly 2,000 of our supporters calling on Hochul to sign the protective measures into law.
New York is now the tenth state in the country to pass a law to restrict the sale of cosmetics tested on animals , following California, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and Virginia.
"For decades, helpless animals have been subjected to cruel and painful experiments simply for the creation of cosmetic products," stated New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, who sponsored the measure, alongside Democratic state Senator Alessandra Biaggi.
"At the same time, research methods have evolved, rendering unnecessary the requirement that animals undergo inhumane tests to help companies create a new mascara or shampoo," said Rosenthal.
“With Governor Hochul’s signature on this legislation, New York State officially recognizes that cosmetics testing on animals should be a thing of the past, and has joined the growing number of states and companies calling for a stop to these experiments,” said Brian Shapiro, New York state director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). “With the increasing availability of non-animal test methods and thousands of existing ingredients, there is no excuse to continue harming animals for the sake of products such as shampoo, aftershave or mascara.”
The animal-free cosmetics industry is predicted to be worth $21.4 billion by 2027, with more and more consumers opting to cruelty-free products due to concerns about animal cruelty.
Cruel and Unnecessary
Credit: PETA
Every year hundreds of thousands of animals, including rabbits, mice and guinea pigs are subjected to painful procedures to test shampoos, makeup, and other products even though these methods have been proven to be costly, unreliable, and unnecessary, says Species Unite. These tests are conducted so that cosmetics companies can sell their products in China where outdated regulations still require animal testing.
According to HSUS, rabbits have chemicals dripped into their eyes or rubbed onto their shaved skin. Guinea pigs and mice have substances smeared onto their skin to determine allergic responses. Rats are forced to ingest large amounts of chemicals to determine the “lethal dose” that eventually causes death. Pain relief is rarely provided, and the animals are killed at the end of these experiments.
Next Steps: A Nationwide Ban
Credit: The Body Shop International
The Humane Cosmetics Act was introduced in the House in December 2021. If passed, it would gradually phase out animal testing methods for cosmetics in the US, replacing them with cutting-edge, animal-free techniques like human cell-based tests and computer modeling. Eventually, cosmetics from other countries that have been tested on animals would be banned too. The legislation has received vocal support, with more than 375 companies including The Body Shops, Walgreens, and Unilever publicly endorsing the act.
"With the increasing availability of non-animal test methods and thousands of existing ingredients, there is no excuse to continue harming animals for the sake of products such as shampoo, aftershave or mascara, " said Shapiro. "Now it is up to Congress to pass the Humane Cosmetics Act to bring about a consistent standard for ending cosmetics animal testing across the country."
Thank you to the Species Unite community who spoke out in favor of the New York Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act. Without your support, incredible victories for animals like this would not be possible.
In collaboration with LUSH, Species Unite is reporting on the animal testing industry through engaging news stories, podcast episodes and powerful petitions. Listen to the podcast episodes here and read our stories here.
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