Woo! India Bans Import of Cosmetics Tested on Animals!

India has officially become a cruelty-free zone for cosmetics in South Asia! In May of 2014, India passed a national ban on cosmetic testing within the country and took their commitment to animal welfare one step further with the passing of this ban on imported cosmetics that utilize animal testing.

The ban comes thanks to the hard work and collaboration of Humane Society International’s #BeCrueltyFree campaigners and the Indian government. After the announcement that India would no longer allow animal testing within the country, HSI India campaigners organized a petition in Support of an import ban and was able to garner 70,000 signatures. This petition was presented to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and was backed by the Support of 30 legislators.

This dual ban on animal testing for cosmetics will officially go into effect as of November 13th, meaning any product imported into the country after this date cannot utilize animal testing.

India has literally made history for animals and has set the stage for other nations to follow their admirable work. In a press release, Gauri Maulekhi, trustee of People for Animals, a #BeCrueltyFree India partner stated, “By working so diligently with the #BeCrueltyFree India campaign, our policy makers have put India on the map as a country transforming its laboratories and regulation, from outdated test methods to state-of-the-art science. Animals, consumers, scientists and companies have everything to gain from such modernization.”

HSI’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign has successfully introduced national cosmetic animal tests bans in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States. Following this monumental development in India, we can only hope that these countries will follow suit and enact national bans, as well as import bans in the future.

A huge THANK YOU to all the compassionate people who worked so hard to see India’s dual ban come to fruition. We hope this is the first of many dominoes to come!

To learn more about HSI’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign, click here.

Lead image source: www.county-vets.co.uk