Animal testing is conducted on animals such as rabbits (usually in Chinese labs) and guinea pigs.
This is toxicological testing for reactions such as eye irritation or skin irritation,
A majority of overseas brands from Europe, America, Australia, and New Zealand are cruelty-free and don’t do animal testing. But China, as a huge emerging market, comprises of up to 80% of market shares for overseas brands.
This is quite a dilemma for “cruelty-free” brands that rely on the Chinese market.
Changes to animal testing in China
The release of CSAR 2020 in June 2020 signified to the world that China had finally taken a “no animal testing” approach.
However, not all cosmetics can be exempted from animal testing.
Apply for a safety assessment report instead of animal testing
There is a premise for exemption from animal testing where you can apply for a safety assessment report instead:
- General cosmetics ONLY (not applicable to special cosmetics).
- The results of the safety risk assessment report can completely verify the product’s safety.
- The manufacturer has obtained relevant certification (such as GMP) of the production quality management system issued by the competent governmental authorities of the original country (region), not by any third parties/organizations like SGS.
*Note: If there is more than one actual manufacturer (such as OEM/ODM), everyone must get the required certification.
Situations where animal testing in China must be conducted
The below situations CANNOT be exempted from animal testing:
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Children or baby products (children under 12 years old).
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Using new cosmetic ingredients in formulation (those not included in IECIC 2021).
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Brand owner (foreign applicant company), responsible person (domestic RP company), or manufacturer (if any OEM/ODM) are on key-supervision blacklist according to NMPA supervision ranking.
Changes for animal testing in China from 2022
From 1 January 2022 a safety assessment report will be mandatory for new applications with or without doing animal testing
For more information and support with this process, please contact Accestra Consulting Group.
