As of this week no cosmetic products that have been tested on animals may be marketed in the EU. This was the last of the three deadlines set by the EU institutions (as of 2004 testing on animals was prohibited for cosmetic products, as of 2009 for cosmetic ingredients as well as marketing of most products with cosmetic ingredients tested on animals). The business sector had a few years (since 2003) to phase out such products from the market, therefore, the European Commission announced yesterday that they plan to strictly adhere to the deadline set in 2003. (
Full EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics enters into force) The works continue on finding alternative methods that could fully replace animal testing.(see:
communication)
