The ban in Canada has materialized after years of advocating from animal welfare activists and industry leaders.

 Canada has finally put a ban on cosmetic animal testing, as demand for cruelty-free products continues to soar.

The county passed a powerful bill outlawing toxicity tests in a move described as  “historic,” to spare the lives of thousands of animals.

The Canadian government passed the legislation last week through the Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-47). It also banned false and misleading labelling pertaining to the testing of cosmetics on animals. 

According to the new rule, It is now illegal to sell cosmetics that “rely on new animal testing data to establish the product’s safety, and false or misleading labelling pertaining to the testing of cosmetics on animals.”

‘Cruel and unnecessary’

In a statement, Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, Government of Canada, said: “Testing cosmetics on animals is both cruel and unnecessary.”

“That is why we are proud to move forward on our promise to ban cosmetic animal testing and trade.

“Protecting animals now and in the future is something many Canadians have been advocating for and now, we can all be assured that cosmetics in Canada are cruelty-free, and we will continue to take all necessary measures to improve animal welfare.”

‘Long overdue’

The ban in Canada has materialized after years of advocating from animal welfare activists and industry leaders.

The Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act was first presented to the Canadian Senate in 2015.  It was approved by the Senate three years later but died in the House of Commons when the 2019 federal election was called.

In 2021, the Liberal Party pledged to end cosmetic testing on animals part of their election campaign.

Darren Praznik, CEO of Cosmetics Alliance Canada, called the newly passed legislation “long overdue.”

“Since this issue was first raised in Parliament through a private member’s bill in the Senate in 2015, our group has met frequently to build a collaborative relationship and to align on the principles with Health Canada while ensuring the ban works within the Canadian regulatory framework,” Praznik said in a statement.

Canada joins over 40 other countries that have made laws to stop testing cosmetics on animals. Some of these countries include the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Korea, India, Israel and Turkey.

The European Union was the first to put a complete ban on testing cosmetics on animals in 2013. The US is also trying to pass the Humane Cosmetics Act, and ten states already have rules against selling cosmetics tested on animals.

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