In the field of cosmetics legislation, the United States is one big step closer to becoming a country cruelty-free (English) cruelty-free ) – Virginia has become the fourth US state to ban animal testing of cosmetics as well as the sale of animal-tested cosmetic products nationwide. California was the first state to do so in 2018, followed by Nevada and Illinois in 2019.
This year's New Year brought even more: even China, known for its strictness regarding animal testing of cosmetics, has allowed cosmetics companies to sell their products in the country from May 1, 2021. regular cosmetics that do not require animal testing. Regular cosmetics defined as cosmetics that do not contain active claims, such as anti-aging , anti-acne etc. . According to the decision, a fresh wave of new cosmetic brands will soon hit China.
Meanwhile, in the EU, we are struggling with legislation that still subtly allows animal testing. EU cosmetics legislation dictates that beauty products should not be tested on animals, but REACH legislation insists that manufacturers of basic cosmetic ingredients must still prove the potential harmfulness of some ingredients through animal testing. (REACH – English: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach/legislation – EU legislation that defines the manufacture and use of chemical substances and their potential harm to human health and the environment). In 2020, several cosmetic companies addressed an open letter to the EU calling for changes to REACH legislation. Cruelty Free Europe ( https://crueltyfreeeurope.org/ ), PETA ( https://www.peta.org/ ), The Body Shop, Dove, and Simple are just some of the 450 signatories to the open letter.
I summarized the above information from Cosmetics Business ( https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/ ), where you can find many other interesting (professional) cosmetic articles.
CONCLUSION
Why did I tackle such a difficult topic today? I don't know. Maybe because it's raining outside and I have a little more time to think? People think very differently. As an expert in the field of chemical compounds, the most important thing for me is that the compound/ingredient used - in any form - is safe for the user - that is, humans. And since I decided to produce only natural cosmetics, it is clear that the previous statement has a continuation for me: it must be safe throughout its entire life cycle - from the initial atom to the completed molecule for all the members of the circle that come close to it. That is why I believe that animal testing is pointless, because in this case only one member of the compound's circle is taken into account, the last user - humans. What happens in between, shouldn't we be interested? Unfortunately, I disagree. There are many species of us living on this beautiful planet; regardless of the fact that we are the dominant species, this does not give us the right to exploit other species, mainly because of our selfish motives. The concept of natural cosmetics also speaks precisely about the fact that we must take ingredients from nature as harmlessly as possible and return them to nature in the most unaltered form possible. Which is what I try to achieve with my natural products. As much as possible, in this crazy world of ours...