Animal testing is still a constant topic in the media, even after the EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 came into force, and we also receive many inquiries about it because this topic is simply close to home. We have put together the most important facts for you.
Legal regulation on the subject of animal testing
Animal testing for cosmetics has been banned in Germany since 1998 by the Animal Welfare Act and in the European Union since 2004 for the testing of finished cosmetic products by the EU Cosmetics Directive (2003/15/EC).
In July 2013, the EU Cosmetics Regulation No. 1223/2009 came into force, which states that from now on no cosmetic products that have been tested on animals as an end product or their individual components may be sold in the EU. We extremely welcome the fact that animal testing on cosmetics is banned in the EU and that the ban also applies to cosmetic products imported into the EU if animal testing has been carried out to comply with EU cosmetics law.
Are there cruelty-free cosmetics?
EU cosmetics law prohibits animal testing for ingredients that are used exclusively in cosmetic products. At this point it is important to know that only a few substances are used exclusively in cosmetic products.
Cosmondial GmbH & Co. KG and our affiliated companies (benecos) do not carry out animal testing on our finished cosmetic products, neither for their prototypes nor for the raw materials contained in our products, nor do we commission any animal testing. This applies not only because we naturally adhere to current EU law, but above all because we are firmly against animal testing and therefore do not take part in any animal testing that is carried out outside the EU in the field of cosmetic products.
Basically, our products are subject to strict quality controls before they come onto the market. The safety of benecos products is carefully checked before they enter the market.
In order to test and confirm certain effects of our products, we work with independent testing institutes and only have our cosmetics tested on voluntary test subjects (humans).
All of our cosmetic products, with the exception of nail polishes, also bear the BDIH, the COSMOS Natural or COSMOS Organic seal for controlled, certified natural and organic cosmetics.
A variety of raw materials are also used in other areas such as pharmaceuticals, food or detergents and cleaning agents. These ingredients are subject to chemical law and their harmlessness to health must be proven. If there are no recognized alternative methods or no available safety data for a particular raw material that is not only used in cosmetics, then animal testing is unavoidable. In this respect, every substance has been tested on animals at least once. Even after the general ban on animal testing for cosmetic products and their ingredients comes into force, no cosmetic product sold in Germany or on the European market can be said to be “free of animal testing” in any respect.
In the past, many cosmetic base and active ingredients were also tested on animals by raw material manufacturers due to mandatory legal regulations. Due to their proven safety, these raw materials are still used in many cosmetic products today, including at benecos. We are not responsible for these tests and unfortunately cannot reverse them. benecos products have only been on the market since 2010 and were not yet on the market during the phases in which animal testing was carried out on end products and raw materials for the development of cosmetic products.
The standards describe requirements that relate to the extraction or production of cosmetic raw materials and their processing. The concerns of animal and species protection are given particular consideration.
Both BDIH and COSMOS are standards applied worldwide, so that the standard ban on animal testing for cosmetic products applies to all participating companies worldwide beyond the EU and we as a participating company promote this initiative through our participation.
We are also a member of the Personal Care and Detergent Industry Association. V., which has supported the ban on animal testing for cosmetic products for many years and is committed to alternative methods.
We also meet PETA's criteria and can be found on their positive list. We do not sell our products in China due to animal testing still required by law there. However, we cannot control which third countries our products are sold to by our customers and partners through other means.