The Government had always claimed that there was no animal testing for cosmetics taking place, but without a national ban there was little to stop cosmetics suffering returning to our laboratories in the future.
In March 2015 the Government announced a ban on cosmetics animals testing, meaning that no animal will suffer for these kinds of experiments in New Zealand laboratories.
The Government had always claimed that there was no animal testing for cosmetics taking place, but without a national ban there was little to stop cosmetics suffering returning to our laboratories in the future.
Over 88% of New Zealanders supported a ban on cosmetics testing on animals, according to a 2013 poll by Horizon Research on behalf of SAFE.
A massive 88.6% of respondents said they were supportive of a ban on such testing in New Zealand. Furthermore 88.9% said they agreed that “the practice of testing cosmetics on animals causes pain and suffering to animals and it is not worth causing this kind of suffering just for the sake of cosmetics, especially when there are already thousands of safe ingredients.”
The Government has now provided an assurance that animal testing for cosmetic and household products will never be allowed to take place in New Zealand by banning it in law.
But remember, this currently just applies to products made within New Zealand, it is not an import ban. To be sure that what you’re buying is cruelty free, download the SAFEshopper app that lists products not tested on animals available in New Zealand.
New Zealand is moving forward in a growing global trend towards cruelty-free products. Israel, India, the 28 member states of the European Union and the Brazilian state of São Paulo, have already banned cosmetics animal testing. Legislative measures are under discussion in Australia, South Korea, the United States and beyond.
As a charity, SAFE is reliant on the support of caring people like you to carry out our valuable work. Every gift goes towards providing education, undertaking research and campaigning for the benefit of all animals. SAFE is a registered charity in New Zealand (CC 40428). Contributions of $5 or more are tax-deductible.