SKINCARE company The Body Shop has issued a scathing statement as it emerged the UK Government may undo a ban on testing cosmetics on animals.
The UK-based company has been vocal in the fight to end animal testing for decades, and works with Cruelty Free International (CFI) to campaign to stop the practice around the world.
CFI warned earlier this month that Tory ministers have left the door open to increasing the use of animal testing after the appeals board of the European Chemicals Agency said some ingredients in cosmetics need to be tested on animals to ensure their safety.
The campaign group was told by the Home Office that the UK Government had “reconsidered its policy” following the decision.
In recent days, CFI has sent a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel demanding that the UK commit to its current ban on cosmetics animal testing.
“We had hoped that the UK – with its proud track record in animal protection and research & innovation, and its substantial cruelty free cosmetics industry – would take an approach based on science not process,” the letter said.
“We would call for the UK to use its new REACH system to develop a progressive animal-free approach to further protect human health and our environment. We are therefore dismayed that the Home Office has confirmed that it will be issuing guidelines imminently to include – based on the ECHA Board of Appeal decisions in the case of the UV filters from Symrise – animal testing even for sole-use cosmetics ingredients.”
“We want the UK to uphold its 1998 position as intended, with no new tests on animals allowed,” they went on. “We would also request a meeting with you at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss this important matter.”
The Body Shop’s strong statement came after the firm signed the open letter to Patel.
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Chris Davis, the company’s director of sustainability, activism and corporate communication, said: "We are saddened and angered that the UK Government is open to changing a policy that may result in cosmetics ingredients being tested on animals for the first time in 23 years.
“The Body Shop was the first global beauty brand to fight on this issue and we successfully campaigned to ban animal testing in cosmetics in the UK in 1998 and our commitment to end this unnecessary and cruel practice remains at the heart of our company to this day.
“We urge the UK Government to consider their position and do the right thing."
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