The animal rights group and the cosmetics company wrote an open letter to organisations asking for them to follow the example set in Europe; where the full ban will come into play on March 11, 2013.
In the open letter to trade association personnel in Australia, India, Brazil, Russia, Korea, Japan, Canada and the United States, Lush and HSI call on animal testing companies across the world to choose the EU sales ban as the moment to go cruelty-free.
Turning point
“The world’s largest cosmetics market, the European Union, which has already banned cruel animal testing of cosmetics within its own boarders, will also close its doors to the sale of cosmetics tested on animals overseas,” reads the letter.
“Surely this must signal a turning point for the beauty industry worldwide to finally kick its animal testing habit and commit to going cruelty-free?”
The collaboration argues that animal toxicity tests represent outdated science and that the future of safety testing lies with modern, human-biology-based methods; eradicating the scientific excuse for animal testing.
They argue that there are also thousands of existing cosmetic ingredients that have long been established as safe for use meaning they don’t require any new testing.
Whilst safety is still of the utmost importance for the cosmetics industry, HSI and Lush argues that with Europe adopting the ban, there is no need for the rest of the world to have the option in place for animal testing.
“As we celebrate the EU going ‘cruelty-free’, we urge all those companies still testing cosmetics on animals in the United States, China, Brazil, India, Canada, South Korea, Russia and beyond: … stop the suffering,” concludes the letter.
Singing from the same song sheet
It mirrors the sentiments of other animal rights organisations such as Cruelty Free International, which also says the EU ban represents a huge step into eradicating the issue worldwide.
CFI also ramped up its efforts to ensure the ban is upheld, and in an exclusive interview with CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com, chief executive Michelle Thew, highlighted the significance of the situation.
“It has been a long time coming for us but the ban is finally here and is a good victory for us,” she said.
“Hopefully this can help us push on for a global ban and ensure both a safe and cruelty-free cosmetics industry.”