Should make-up be tested on animals?

The UK has changed a law to allow some make-up products to be tested on animals.

In May this year, the High Court (the UK’s most powerful law court) ruled that the Government wasn’t breaking the law when in 2019 it began to allow the testing of some make-up ingredients on animals. Scientists in the UK are allowed to test medicines or food products on animals to see if they are safe for humans. However, since 1998 it’s been against the law to test cosmetics (make-up) or make-up ingredients on animals. Advertising products or ingredients tested on animals is also banned.

The Government changed the rules in 2019 to fit with European Union (EU) regulations that govern the safety of chemicals, including some used in cosmetics. The EU (a group of 27 countries in Europe that work and trade together) allows the testing of substances on animals but only as a “last resort” to keep workers safe when they are making cosmetics. Some of the chemicals may damage people’s health if they are handling them.