Animal protection organisation granted permission to seek judicial review over cosmetic testing

‘This judicial review is vital to establish whether there is a ban on cosmetic testing on animals in the UK’

(REUTERS)

An animal protection organisation has been given permission to seek judicial review against the Home Office to establish whether there is a ban on cosmetic testing in Britain.

Cruelty Free International (CFI) — a leading animal protection organisation behind the case — argued the government has “effectively” overturned a ban first introduced in 1998.

They claimed the Home Office “seems to be telling the public one thing — that cosmetic animal testing is banned in the UK — and doing something entirely different in practice”.

Last year officials revealed that UK rules on testing would be aligned with a decision by the European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) board of appeal, requiring certain ingredients to be trialled on animals to ensure safety.

In a letter to CFI in August 2021, the Home Office said that the ban on animal testing for finished cosmetic products – as opposed to individual ingredients – remained in force.

“The principle of the 1997/98 policy, namely that testing of finished cosmetic products on animals for the registration and marketing of those products is not required and therefore not permitted, remains in force,” the letter added.

But the correspondence, first obtained by The Guardian,added that the Home Office would “publicly clarify its position now with the formal publication of an updated policy and regulatory guidance on the regulation of animal testing”.

Kerry Postlewhite, the director of government and regulatory affairs at CFI, however, said: “This judicial review is vital to establish whether there is a ban on cosmetic testing on animals in the UK.

“The Home Office admitted in its letter of August 2021 to us that it now allows if not all animal testing for cosmetic ingredients — including those solely used in cosmetics.”

She added: “The government seems to be telling the public one thing — that cosmetic animal testing is banned in the UK — and doing something entirely different in practice”

“We know from poll after poll, that the British people are firmly opposed to animals suffering for beauty. A poll carried out by YouGov last autumn revealed that 85 per cent find it unacceptable to test cosmetic ingredients on animals”.

A government spokesperson told The Independent: “The UK is committed to the protection of animals in science and to ensuring animal research is only carried out where no practicable alternative exists.

“For the small procedures still carried out on animals, this research is crucial for the development of new medicines and cutting-edge medical technologies.”

“Animal testing of cosmetics to permit their marketing for consumer use has been banned in the UK since 1998 and there has been no change to this legislation in recent times”.