Hundreds of UK and EU cosmetics likely contain ingredients tested on animals, study finds

More than 100 tests have been carried out on animals after the EU ban on animal testing

A person chooses foundation at a makeup counter (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Hundreds of cosmetic products sold in the UK and EU likely contain chemicals that were tested on animals, a new study has shown.

Researchers from Germany, the US and China found that more than 100 tests have been carried out on animals after 2009, which is when the EU ban on animal testing of cosmetic ingredients came into force.

Although the 2009 ban means that the consumer safety of cosmetics is no longer tested on animals, companies must also ensure the ingredients in their products are safe for workers to handle under a second regulation by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

To fulfil this requirement, companies may test these ingredients on animals as a “last resort”.

The study, published in the journal Alternatives to Animal Experimentation identified 413 cosmetic ingredients in the ECHA’s database, 63 of which underwent a total of 104 tests on animals.

Scientists said the trends show “continued animal testing of ingredients” which “is likely to carry on”. They said the added requirement by the ECHA will affect “most cosmetic ingredients”.

“Except for import of a finished product, all other cosmetic processes involve worker exposure to the ingredient,” the study said.

The findings come shortly after the UK Home Office faced backlash after it revealed its support for a decision by the ECHA Board of Appeal requiring certain ingredients to be trialled on animals before use by humans.

In August 2020, the ECHA ruled that Symrise, a German company that produces flavours and fragrances, should carry out animal tests on two substances used in cosmetics.

In a letter to animal charity Cruelty Free International (CFI), the home office said the UK had “aligned its approach to the Board of Appeal of the European Chemicals Agency in the Symrise case”.

Dr Katy Taylor, CFI’s director of science and regulatory affairs told The Independent that the stance “blows a hole in the UK’s longstanding leadership of no animal testing for cosmetics and makes a mockery of the country’s quest to be at the cutting edge of research and innovation, relying once again on cruel and unjustifiable tests that date back over half a century”.