A recent Washington state law prohibits cosmetic testing on animals.
This groundbreaking decision will safeguard animal rights by banning the sale of cosmetics that are tested on animals, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). It was introduced last year, signed in March 2024, and went into effect in January 2025, making Washington the 12th state to pass such legislation.
As the ALDF explained, "This testing is unnecessary: Not only can safe cosmetics already be made using existing ingredients, but new technologies are also available that are more effective and reliable." Violators will be fined.
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Price impact of ingredients 💰 There are some notable exceptions to the bill, which you should keep in mind if you're shopping for cosmetics in Washington. It allows for the sale of foreign cosmetics that require animal testing in their specific countries, and if there is no alternative.
In a roundabout way, animal testing also hurts humans. According to the Humane Society of the United States, "Animals often respond differently than humans when exposed to the same chemicals, leading to inaccurate estimates of real-world hazards to people."
By banning animal testing, Washington state (and states with similar laws) can uplift companies that focus on more accurate, advanced testing methods that ultimately keep consumers safer.
This will also help the planet, according to a study published in MDPI and summarized in Faunalytics. Though the specific numbers aren't known — companies aren't required to report the number of animals they test — researchers estimate that it's in the thousands.
Many of these animals have toxins and carcinogens in their bodies at the time of death, and their carcasses are disposed of through incineration. Burning these carcasses en masse releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, further polluting the planet.
Other states have also passed laws to minimize the harmful environmental effects that human treatment of animals can have. Virginia, for example, passed a law last year adding waste management rules for large farms, where nitrogen and bacteria from livestock excrement can pollute the water.
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