China expected to approve first non-animal cosmetics test

15-May-2012

Regulatory

Test due to be adopted by late summer

China looks set to approve the country’s first non-animal testing method for cosmetic ingredients by late summer.

Following a meeting between Chinese officials and scientists from the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS), who were funded by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Assay, which tests chemicals for their potential toxicity when exposed to sunlight, is expected to be accepted by the country later in the year.

PETA awarded a grant to the IIVS scientists to share their expertise with the Chinese officials after they discovered that China was requiring animal tests for cosmetics to be funded by cosmetics companies such as Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay, which were on PETA’s list of companies that do not test cosmetics on animals.