China moves toward going cruelty-free
The China FDA is inviting comments on its report on the new regulations
The China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has invited comments on its Regulations Concerning the Hygiene Supervision Over Cosmetics report, which the agency plans to amend for the first time in 23 years. According to Chinese sources, the rapid development of China’s cosmetics industry combined with changes in the industry and regulatory areas have rendered existing legislation inadequate.
The CFDA intends to release a draft of the amended regulation by the end of 2013 for public consultation. The revisions are expected to include tighter controls over cosmetics that make efficacy claims, such as skin whitening and anti-wrinkle properties, and may eliminate animal testing for cosmetics. Current regulations require that every new cosmetic product for sale in China must be animal tested in a government laboratory.
This June, animal rights group Humane Society International (HSI) launched its campaign to end animal testing in China. In recent months, HSI toxicology experts have prepared a submission for the CFDA highlighting opportunities to align China with international standards. These include accelerating China’s acceptance of recognised non-animal methods for safety testing and aligning China’s animal testing policy with that of Europe.