Governor Jerry Brown signs landmark legislation

September 29, 2018 - The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund praise California Gov. Jerry Brown for signing groundbreaking legislation that prohibits the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals. The law is the first of its kind in North America. SB 1249, championed by Senator Cathleen Galgiani and Assembly member Ash Kalra, will ensure that cosmetic products in California stores are free from new animal testing once the bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

The Humane Society of the United States and HSLF joined a coalition of organizations, including sponsors Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Social Compassion in Legislation, as well as cosmetics company LUSH, in support of SB 1249. The law will end the sale of cosmetics like lipstick, deodorant and shampoo that contain ingredients that are newly tested on animals with a few exceptions for ingredients tested on animals for non-cosmetic purposes as required by certain regulatory agencies and for companies to comply with foreign testing requirements.

“We are grateful to Governor Brown for signing this bill,” said Crystal Moreland, California state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “I am proud that California is the first state in the nation to take a stand against cruel cosmetic animal testing.”

Every year rabbits, rats, mice and guinea pigs suffer and are killed in tests to assess the safety of cosmetics, a practice that is cruel and unnecessary. There are thousands of ingredients that have a history of safe use and non-animal tested methods that provide safety information more relevant to humans.

We now call on Congress to quickly pass the Humane Cosmetics Act, legislation to end the production and sale of animal-tested cosmetics in the United States. Ending cosmetic animal testing has broad support from the American public and the Humane Cosmetics Act has been endorsed by 250 companies in the cosmetics industry. More than 30 other countries, including the members of the European Union, have passed similar laws.

Background:

• Text of SB 1249
  
  
• The Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 2790) would make it unlawful to use animals for cosmetics testing in the United States and will phase out the sale of cosmetics if the final product or any component was subject to new animal testing. The HCA was introduced by Martha McSally, R- Ariz.; Don Beyer, D- Va.;  Ed Royce, (R- Calif.; Tony Cárdenas, D- Calif.; Frank LoBiondo; R-N.J.; and Paul Tonko, D-N.Y.
  
  
• A 2013 public opinion poll found that almost two-thirds of American voters believe it should not be legally allowed to test cosmetics safety on animals in the U.S.
  
  
• More than 30 countries (including the member states of the EU, India, Israel, Norway and Switzerland) with more than 1.8 billion residents, have passed laws banning the use of animal testing for cosmetics as well as the sale or import of animal-tested cosmetics.  New Zealand, Guatemala and seven states in Brazil have also prohibited cosmetics animal testing. Turkey, South Korea and Taiwan have passed laws limiting cosmetic animal testing.
  Source: Humane Society of the United States