Ban testing of make-up ingredients on animals, UK government urged

Animal rights campaigners are calling on the UK government to ban testing ingredients used for make-up on animals.

Testing cosmetic products and ingredients on animals remains banned in the UK, the government insists.

But the Home Office has issued licenses that allow testing of ingredients that might affect worker safety.

The High Court said that the government was acting legally after a case was brought by animal rights activists.

Testing on animals in the UK had only been allowed if the benefits gained from the research outweighed any animal suffering, for example for medicines.

However, in 2020 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), an EU agency which oversees chemical regulation, ruled that companies needed to test some ingredients used in cosmetics on animals to ensure they were safe for workers manufacturing the ingredients