Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies Approves Bill Banning Cosmetic Testing on Live Vertebrates

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has approved a bill that would ban the testing of cosmetics, personal hygiene products, and perfumes on live vertebrates, following the advocacy of animal welfare organizations Te Protejo and Humane World for Animals. The bill would modify existing legislation to exclude data from animal testing in the authorization of these products, unless required by non-cosmetic regulations. Manufacturers using animal testing cannot claim their products are "not tested on animals" or "cruelty-free" on their labels.

Once signed by the President and published in the official gazette, the law will have a two-year regulatory process for agencies to adopt alternative methods and oversight. Brazil would join several other Latin American countries and global jurisdictions in banning cosmetic testing on animals, with the U.S. FDA also moving towards phasing out such practices. Animal welfare advocates see this as a historic achievement in protecting animals from cruel experimentation in the cosmetics industry.