Canada bans cosmetic animal testing and the sale of new cosmetic products developed from animal testing.
More specifically, the text of the law targets “the sale of cosmetics whose safety cannot be established without recourse to data drawn from tests conducted on animals which could cause them pain, suffering or any physical or mental injury, subject to certain exceptions”.
It will also be prohibited to mislead customers through “misleading claims”, “on the label or in the advertising of cosmetics”, ignoring that a product was developed without animal testing when it is not is not the case.
Companies will therefore have to provide Health Canada – “upon request” – with evidence that their product was developed without potential harm to animals.
“Passing this ban is a big win for animals, since testing cosmetics is an unnecessary and painful practice, and the Montreal SPCA has been calling for their ban for years,” said Erin Martellani, campaign manager for animal defense at the SPCA.
Canada joins a list of some forty countries that have already banned animal testing, including India, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
The measure was unveiled when Minister Chrystia Freeland’s budget was tabled in March and finally received royal assent in the Senate on Thursday evening.
Pharmacy shelves will not change overnight: this amendment to the Food and Drugs Act has several exceptions.
In fact, all cosmetic products already authorized in Canada to date will be able to remain on the market, including those that have benefited from animal testing during their development.
“The protection of animals, today and for the future, is a measure demanded by many Canadians and of which we can all be delighted,” declared the office of the federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos. “We are proud to move forward with this measure and assure Canadians that the products they buy are cruelty-free.”