Taking a humane look at cosmetics(2)

Search for alternatives

The EU ban on animal testing has forced producers to accelerate research into alternative technologies. The move is unlikely to have an immediate impact on companies with production units in China, though, because products tested before the ban came into force will remain on the shelves in Europe.

L'Oreal, which recently expanded a factory in Hubei province into its largest production base in the Asia-Pacific region, has developed a Chinese EpiSkin model, a facsimile of human skin constructed from Asian keratinocytes, the dominant cells in the outer layer of the skin.

In a news release, the company said EpiSkin can provide solid technical support for the new EU regulations because it can be used as a replacement for human and animal tissue in some tests, especially those related to corrosion and irritation of the skin. In Europe, the product has already been certified for use.

In 2011, the CFDA embarked on a project to identify alternatives to animal testing.

The project, headed by He Zhengming, is examining the possibility of setting up a special body to research alternatives to toxicological tests on animals. The group also reports on the latest developments in ongoing research methods and the application of alternative research and testing, plus conditions in laboratories.

Both He and the CFDA declined invitations to be interviewed on the project's latest findings.

Jiao, the expert from Guangdong Entry Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, said that the alternative methods have drawbacks. "The methods are still immature in terms of testing new ingredients in cosmetics, especially the methods of testing for chronic diseases," she said.

Cruelty-free cosmetics

Many cosmetics companies warmly greeted the proposal to phase out mandatory animal tests among Chinese producers.

"We know that many Chinese people have already tried Lush products and liked them, so we would love to be able to sell in China," said Jones from Lush Retail.

The Body Shop also welcomes the signals from the Chinese authorities and looks forward to selling its products in China one day, company spokeswoman Louise Terry told CNN.

However, the companies insisted they would not make their products available in China until the requirement for mandatory animal testing is abandoned.

If it comes to pass, the move could also be instrumental in allowing Chinese cosmetics to be marketed in Europe. The regulatory requirement for animal-based tests have long been an obstacle to that ambition, according to Peter Li, Humane Society International's China policy expert, who said the society has been in contact with the CFDA since June 2012, most recently in September.

"We tried to convey the following message: China can regard the adoption of the established non-animal testing methods used in the European Union as a way of reducing costs, reducing animal suffering, and addressing the loss of market access for Chinese cosmetics," he said.

However, a total ban on animal-based tests proposed by some producers and animal rights groups has drawn criticism, even within the EU.

Cosmetics Europe, a trade association that represents the interests of the European cosmetics industry, said the ban is potentially harmful.

"By implementing the ban at this time, the European Union is jeopardizing the industry's ability to innovate, particularly for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises)," said Bertil Heerink, Cosmetic's Europe's director general, in a statement at the time the ban came into force.

While Chinese researchers have long studied ways to improve the welfare of laboratory animals, most of the work has been aimed at providing better living conditions, thus reducing the animals' stress levels and improving the accuracy of the results, according to experts.

"The animal welfare we are conducting is entirely different to that of animal rights groups who hold up banners to protest testing on animals," said He in a 2011 interview.

"They (the protesters) are doing this from the angle of extreme animal rights and they show an utter disregard for scientific development. From our point of view, improving animal welfare is a service to scientific development, because animals that live in a filthy environment with poor nutritional conditions will not provide accurate test figures," he said, adding that the test methods used in China must accord with the rest of the world if the results are to be universally acknowledged.

While the proposal to end animal testing has raised concerns among consumers about the safety of the alternative methods, Jiao noted that all the ingredients have already undergone safety tests and most of the products can only be distinguished from one another by the proportions in which the ingredients are used.

"Even after animal testing, cosmetics can't be guaranteed 100 percent safe," she said. "The results can only be assessed from the reactions of the majority of users and, of course, reactions may differ among individuals."