Cruelty Free International is celebrating an important step towards a global ban for animal testing as China’s Gansu Province National Medical Products Association has announced that post-market testing for finished imported and domestically produced cosmetics in China will not include animal tests.

However, the announcement does not end animal testing for cosmetics in China, as pre-market testing requirements are yet to be clarified for imported cosmetics.

“It remains important that cruelty free companies participated in our pilot project with Cruelty Free International to ensure that no animal testing is conducted during the National Medical Products Association product filing process,” clarifies Mette Knudsen, regulatory expert and CEO of Shanghai-based Knudsen&CRC.  

Michelle Thew, Cruelty Free International Chief Executive, added, “This assurance by the Chinese authorities that post-market animal testing is now not normal practice is an enormous step in the right direction and most welcome. At this stage, this does not automatically mean that brands can import to China overnight and be cruelty free, but we are delighted that through co-operation and partnership our aim to end cosmetics animal testing everywhere and forever is coming closer. We hope that this will pave the way to actual legislative change that will benefit cruelty free companies and the Chinese consumer as well as many thousands of animals.”