Ban on animal testing

Regulatory context

The Cosmetics Directive foresees a regulatory framework with the aim of phasing out animal testing. It establishes a prohibition to test finished cosmetic products and cosmetic ingredients on animals (testing ban), and a prohibition to market in the European Community, finished cosmetic products and ingredients included in cosmetic products which were tested on animals (marketing ban).

The testing ban on finished cosmetic products applies since 11 September 2004; the testing ban on ingredients or combination of ingredients applies since 11 March 2009.

The marketing ban applies since 11 March 2009 for all human health effects with the exception of repeated-dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity and toxicokinetics. For these specific health effects the marketing ban will apply step by step as soon as alternative methods are validated and adopted in EU legislation with due regard to the OECD validation process, but with a maximum cut-off date of 10 years after entry into force of the Directive, i.e., 11 March 2013, irrespective of the availability of alternative non-animal tests.

Timetable pdf - 171 KB [171 KB] for phasing out of animal testing

Documents related to animal testing:

European cooperation

European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM)

ECVAM plays a key role in the development, validation and international recognition of alternative methods.

European Partnership to Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) is a joint initiative from the European Commission, European trade associations from seven industry sectors and individual companies. It was launched in November 2005 with the purpose to promote the development and implementation of new 3Rs methods (replace, reduce, refine) and modern alternative approaches in the field of safety testing.

The EPAA website also contains information on the annual conferences.

International cooperation

October 2008: Framework for International Cooperation on Alternative Test Methods (ICATM) pdf - 29 KB [29 KB]

For an overview on the different activities to elaborate alternative testing methods:

European Commission