Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/hawaii-bans-animal-cosmetic-testing/
Hawaii has taken a stand against animal testing and is waiting for Governor David Ige to sign Hawaii Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act into law.
The bill would ban cosmetic manufacturers from selling any cosmetic product involving new animal testing starting January 1, 2022, states Cruelty Free International.
Over 40 countries have banned cosmetic animal testing, but the U.S. is not one of them. Individual states are taking matters into their own hands in hopes of influencing a nationwide ban on the inhumane testing.
Hawaii will be the sixth state to pass such a bill and joins Virginia, California, Illinois, Nevada, and Maryland in becoming a cruelty-free state.
Hundreds of thousands of animal suffer and die every year due to outdated and unnecessary animal cosmetic testing, even though the FDA does not require cosmetic products to be tested on animals to prove they are safe.
Monica Engebretson, Cruelty Free International Head of Public Affairs in North America, says there are other more accurate testing methods that are not harmful to animals.
“Non-animal testing methods are more effective, humane, and human-relevant. Not only do companies have modern tests at their disposal, they also have thousands of existing cosmetic ingredients with histories of safe use and existing safety data that can be used without more tests. Hundreds of successful cosmetics companies of all sizes now rely on non-animal testing methods.”
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Senator Mike Gabbard, who first introduced the bill in 2018 and has continued to reintroduce it every year since said, “People in Hawai’i and across the nation care about animals and are increasingly looking for cosmetic products that are cruelty free. By moving forward with this legislation, we are doing the right thing without sacrificing the necessary product testing needed to protect human health.”
Humane Society International recently teamed up with animal-loving celebrities to create a stop-motion animation short movie, Save Ralph, to end animal testing worldwide.
You can help by only purchasing products with the Leaping Bunny, signifying the product is cruelty-free, and pledge to shop cruelty-free.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
