Virginia Bans Cosmetic Animal Testing: Which Other States Have Similar Laws?

Virginia has now decided to prohibit the testing of cosmetics on animals and the sale of any such products. It is the fourth state in the United States to introduce such a law.

Gov. Ralph Northam signed the Humane Cosmetics Act earlier this week. The law prohibits cosmetics testing on animals by cosmetics manufacturers in the Commonwealth areas and it will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. It also prevents companies from selling animal-tested cosmetics in the state.

Three other states have also banned animal-tested cosmetics — California, Illinois and Nevada. California introduced the law in 2018, while Illinois and Nevada followed suit with identical laws in 2019.

Five other states are in line to enforce similar laws, which include Hawaii, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland and New York, ABC reported.

Around the world, about 40 countries have laws that either limit or ban the testing of cosmetics on animals. Some of the countries include Turkey, Australia, India and Guatemala.

'Cruel practices'

Cosmetics tests are usually conducted on mice, rats, rabbits and guinea pigs, which cause them pain and suffering.

Sometimes rats are made to consume significant amounts of chemicals to determine the dose that causes their death. In another test, mice are forcefully fed chemical substances over a period of time to identify long-term effects. There are also skin and eye irritation tests, where chemicals are dripped into restrained rabbits' eyes or rubbed into their bare skin without administering any painkillers, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

These animals are sometimes killed at the end of the tests, usually by decapitation, asphyxiation or by breaking their necks. There is no official data about the number of animals used for such studies and they are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act, the organization said.

Animal-rights groups have been campaigning for years against the use of animals for such tests.

The Humane Society welcomed the new Virginia law and said, "This fantastic news illustrates a growing momentum in efforts to end unnecessary testing on animals in the United States and around the world for products like shampoos, mascara and lipstick."