Four U.S. states considered cruelty free cosmetics laws in 2023
Ask your Senator to support reintroduction of Humane Cosmetics Act
As state legislative sessions come to a close across the United States, we are pleased that the debate about cruelty free cosmetics was kept alive with legislation introduced in four states (Rhode Island, Washington, Florida, and Oregon) that were in alignment with our model legislation and the laws already passed by 10 states.
The good news is that the Oregon bill was signed into law this week by the Governor and will go into effect on January 1, 2024. The remaining state bills have sadly run out of time.
Here's our 2023 U.S. cruelty free cosmetics progress map -
History has shown that state activity often leads to changes at the federal level. Indeed, these state efforts served as a catalyst to bring stakeholders to the table. The agreements ultimately reached between Cruelty Free International and Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), on early state legislation, have been adopted into the federal Humane Cosmetics Act. Our conversations with the PCPC also led to similar discussions with the Cosmetics Alliance Canada (CAC) which ultimately led to the successful passage of Canada’s cosmetic animal testing ban.
However, despite the example set by individual states and neighboring Canada, nationwide legislation in the U.S. has failed to gain traction. While the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulations Act of 2022 (MoCRA) passed as part of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which expands the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority over the cosmetics industry, specific animal testing restrictions were not included, thus missing an opportunity to address one of the most important issues amongst the public and cosmetics users.
Despite this disappointment, we remain hopeful that the progress in Canada and the on-going state efforts will create the impetus for federal action. We look forward to using this momentum to advocate for the federal Humane Cosmetics Act, which we hope will be reintroduced soon.
You can help by calling your U.S. Senators and asking them to support the reintroduction of the Humane Cosmetics Act. This Act would harmonize restrictions on animal testing for cosmetics with Canada, and match the now 11 states that have passed cruelty free cosmetics laws. You can find your US Senators and their contact information below: