The bill was introduced to the Colombian congress last week, championed by animal rights group, Animal Defenders International (ADI).
If the bill is passed, it means that Colombia will join more than 40 countries worldwide in banning animal testing on cosmetics, which currently includes all EU countries, Australia and India.
What the bill says
The proposed legislation calls for a complete ban on all cosmetic products, as well as the ingredients that make up product formulation.
The bill would apply to all cosmetics products and ingredients manufactured in Colombia, as well as imports across the board, and would come into being 12 months after being passed.
ADI has been instrumental in getting the bill off the ground in Colombia, and has been lobbying both politicians and those involved in the country’s beauty industry to set the precedent in the Latin American region.
ADI aims to end unnecessary testing
Pressure has mounted to move forward with a worldwide ban on animal testing for cosmetics since members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution in May of this year that aims to outlaw animal testing everywhere by 2023.
ADI has been pushing for this move by showcasing research it has carried out that exposes widespread suffering by animals that are still being used in experiments on cosmetic products all over the world.
The organization claims that advanced non-animal testing alternatives are now invariably more reliable than tests carried out on animals, without the unnecessary suffering.
