Australia Proposes Ban on Cosmetic Animal Testing

Last week, a new bill was proposed by the Australian House of Representatives to ban the testing of chemicals used for cosmetics on animals. If enacted, the bill will make it illegal to test ingredients—or whole products such as shampoo, soap, deodorant, and perfumes—on animals after July 1, 2018. “The Coalition Government has received strong public support to introduce a ban on cosmetic testing on animals and we have listened and acted,” Australia’s Federal Assistant Minister for Health David Gillespie said. “The ban delivered through this bill will bring Australia into line with the European Union and other countries, introducing a ban on cosmetic testing on animals.” The new code of practice—entitled National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme—would encourage the country’s cosmetics manufacturers to use more human-relevant testing methods, an approach already adopted by many nations around the world including India, Taiwan, and The Netherlands.