Starting May 1, the China National Medical Products Administration will exempt imported ‘ordinary cosmetics’ from animal testing. Ordinary cosmetics refers to shampoo, shower gel, blush, mascara, perfume, etc. Products like sunscreen, hair dyes and children’s products will still need to be tested on animals.
In 1938, the US’s ‘Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act’ was formally signed, requiring cosmetics to provide certification to ensure safety. Since then, beauty companies have conducted animal testing. In 1944, the Draize Test was born. This test exposes the eyes and skin of animals directly to chemical substances and is still used today.
However, towards the end of the century, animal rights groups started to object to these practices. As a result, many places (the UK, European Union, Norway, India, Israel) have now completely banned animal testing.