What an incredible victory for animals in China! Thanks to the hard work of Be Cruelty-Free China, Humane Society International’s Beijing Team, and many Chinese Animal rights groups, it has officially been deemed that animal testing is no longer required by law for cosmetics!

Prior to this ruling, China was the only country in the world that legally required the use of animal testing for cosmetics. This decision signifies an incredible shift in the social perception of the need for animal testing and stands as a landmark victory for Animal rights advocates around the world. I mean, if you can get China to stop requiring animal testing, then more positive steps for animals being held in labs is surely on its way!

China’s legal requirement for cosmetics testing using animals has led a number of leading cosmetic brands to discontinue the sale of their products in Chinese markets. While this step does not mean that animal testing is definitively banned in China, it is a positive step that will reduce the number of companies using animals to test cosmetics. To follow up on this action, HSI has co-signed a letter with 20 Chinese Animal rights groups to China’s FDA urging them to welcome this new change and reduce the use of animals for cosmetics tests.

To celebrate this tantamount win for animals, hundreds of Be Cruelty-Free China campaigners took to the streets of Dalian in bunny ears.

In a press release announcing this new measure, HSI explains, “ending cosmetics animal testing in China will be a marathon, not a sprint,” however, on June 30, the first step of this journey towards the finish line begins. Certainly a step that is worth celebrating.

Image source: Humane Society International