Animal testing on cosmetics produced in the United States may be banned if lawmakers from Arizona and four other states have their way.
The bipartisan Humane Cosmetics Act was reintroduced in early June in the U.S. House of Representatives. Lead by Arizona Congresswoman Martha McSally and Virginia Congressman Don Beyer, the bill would end animal testing for cosmetics after one year and phase out the sale of animal tested cosmetics in three years.
Lawmakers from California, New Jersey and New York are also on-board.
Traditionally, cosmetics have been tested on animals to demonstrate efficacy and safety.
The European Union ended animal testing on products in 2003 and on ingredients in 2009. In 2013, it outlawed the sale in Europe of new cosmetics tested on animals outside the EU.
The United States is the world’s second largest cosmetics exporter behind France. The Humane Cosmetics Act was first introduced in 2015 to phase out animal testing in the U.S., but it did not move forward.
Dozens of similar bans have been enacted in other parts of the world, including Norway, Israel, India and the European Union.