In a major victory for animals, Virginia just became the fourth U.S. state to ban animal-tested cosmetics by signing the Virginia Humane Cosmetics Act into law last Friday.
Thank you to the more than 35,000 supporters who signed Lady Freethinker’s petition to end cruel animal testing from entering the state, and all of the activists who worked to help this bill pass.
Introduced by Sen. Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Kaye Kory, the new law prohibits the sale of cosmetics tested on animals after Jan. 1, 2022.
Virginia joins California, Nevada, and Illinois, while a larger effort to ban these products federally continues to gain bipartisan support. Animal testing involves cruel and inhumane procedures, such as dripping shampoo into rabbits’ eyes although the animals don’t have tear ducts to wash out the irritating product, and feeding mice enough of a cosmetic until they die to determine a “lethal dose.”
Cosmetic animal testing started during the 1940s as the only “realistic” technology for testing makeup on human skin, but experts now consider it ineffective and outdated, CBS 19 reported. Some research bodies– including the Center for Contemporary Sciences (CCS) — are shifting completely away from animal testing due to both the cruelty involved and the problematic differences between animal and human genetic makeups.
“Greater than 90 percent of drugs and vaccines fail in human clinical trials, despite showing signs of safety and efficacy in animal and traditional laboratory tests,” said CCS’s Director of Science and Technology Jarrod Bailey. “We, therefore, need, urgently, to shift the focus of biomedical research and testing away from animals and towards hi-tech, cutting-edge human-based methods.”
Unfortunately, there are exceptions to the ban, including pharmaceutical products that are cosmetic in nature but are officially classified as drugs — serving as a reminder that there is a lot more work to do to end animal testing.
Nevertheless, this new law marks a tremendous step forward in the fight against animal cruelty.
What’s New…
EVERY STATE IN THE US MUST DEMAND NO MORE TESTING ON ANY ANIMAL. THIS IS ABUSIVE & UNNECESSARY!
I can’t believed nowadays that people still abuse and torture animals just for cosmetic purpose and we’re supposed to be civilized.
Why haven’t ALL of the United States made it illegal to test on animals yet? it’s 2021, for #@&$! sake!!!
A big thank you to the Senators of Virginia, for showing the kindness & compassion for the innocent helpless animals who are being used as commodities for the Evil cosmetic research & many more Bogus research on variety of other reasons. THANK YOU THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
I HOPE ALL THE OTHER STATES TOO WILL FOLLOW THE SAME KIND PRINCIPLES ON BEHALF OF THE VULNERABLE.
This testing has never been effective. How many more innocent animals are going to die at the hands of heartless experimenters who have no regard for their feelings?
Good for Virginia now let’s do this all over the world.
STOP USING ANIMALS FOR TESTING COSMETICS…
All countries should ban animal testing for cosmetics. I have a friend who is both a Veterinarian AND Toxicologist. He told me many years ago that animal testing is NOT necessary for cosmetics. It is time for this to stop immediately !!!
Thank you to the State of Virginia.
COMMENT
Thank you Virginia. Let’s hope the rest of the World follow on now!
Thanku Virginia.
Thank you Virginia. I wish the whole world would see the ineffectiveness in this outdated and torturous practice on animals
Well done Virginia. Let’s hope the rest of the world follows suit.