New Regulations in China Allow for Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

The Chinese government announced that it has created a new pathway for cruelty-free cosmetics to be sold in China. As of May 1, 2021, it will allow companies to market most imported “general cosmetics”—like shampoo, body wash, lotion, and makeup—without the usually required animal testing, once those companies take a number of steps and apply for the exemption. This move comes after PETA awarded grants to the Institute for In Vitro Sciences so that its expert scientists could travel to China to offer their expertise and guidance in replacing cruel, unreliable animal tests with non-animal methods. That followed our 2012 revelation that some formerly cruelty-free companies had covertly started paying the Chinese government to test their products on animals in order to sell them in that country.