Mexico becomes the first country in North America and the 41st country in the world to completely ban cosmetics testing on animals after Mexico’s Senate voted unanimously to do so.
This change in legislation is believed to have been influenced by the Humane Society’s International stop-motion animated film “Save Ralph,” a story of a rabbit cosmetic tester that garnered more than 150 million social media views and over 730 million tags on TikTok. The video encouraged more than 1.3 million people to sign a petition to halt cosmetic animal testing in Mexico.
Under the new law, it will no longer be permitted for cosmetic research to include testing on animals. This includes individual cosmetic ingredients or finished cosmetic products. The new law also forbids the manufacture, marketing, and import of cosmetics (either the final formulation or individual ingredients) that have been tested on animals in other countries. The bill was supported by Humane Society International/Mexico, and non-governmental organization Te Protejo.
“Beauty cannot be cruelty, and that’s why we senators are saving the animals and are issuing laws that firmly prohibit the use of animals for experiments in beauty, cosmetology, or of any type. Arriba los animales,” said bill sponsor Senator Ricardo Monreal in an announcement.
Companies in the beauty business, including established brands such as Avon, L’Oréal, Lush, P&G, and Unilever also supported the change; many are working with the Humane Society through the Animal-Free Safety Assessment (AFSA), a collaborative of corporate and non-profit leaders who are striving to come up with safe, alternative methods to animal testing.
