The Beauty Industry Has Already Moved Beyond Animal Testing: It’s Time Policy Caught Up

By Tom Myers, President and CEO, Personal Care Products Council

For decades, the cosmetics and personal care industry has been investing in the future of product safety. That future is not only more innovative and more human-relevant, but it is also increasingly one that reduces and replaces the need for animal testing through advanced scientific methods.

The reality is that the cosmetics and personal care products industry has already moved far beyond animal testing. Today, companies are leveraging sophisticated New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), including computational modeling, in vitro testing methods, and integrated safety assessment approaches that provide valuable safety information while reducing reliance on animals. Collectively, our industry has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the development, validation, and adoption of these methods, working alongside regulators, scientists, academics, and animal welfare organizations around the world.

As science continues to advance, public policy should advance with it. That is why the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) supports the bipartisan Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 1657), legislation that would establish a national standard for eliminating new cosmetics animal testing in favor of innovative, scientifically advanced safety assessments. The bill reflects the direction our industry, consumers, and global regulatory systems have been moving in for years, and it builds on decades-long efforts to promote non-animal alternatives and to move closer to eliminating the need for animals in product safety testing.

In July, PCPC joined Cruelty Free International and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to host a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill focused on the Humane Cosmetics Act and the role of modern safety science in reducing animal testing. The briefing was held under the auspices of the Congressional Cosmetics Caucus, a bipartisan group in the US House of Representatives dedicated to promoting the US cosmetics and personal care industry. The event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, scientific experts, and animal welfare advocates to discuss how innovation is reshaping product safety assessment.

Among the speakers was Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA.), the lead House sponsor of the Humane Cosmetics Act, as well as Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Cosmetics Caucus. Their participation reflected the growing bipartisan recognition that modern science offers an opportunity to advance both consumer safety and animal welfare. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Cosmetics Caucus, underscored this point, noting: “Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between safe products and animal welfare. They can have both. The Humane Cosmetics Act is not about changing where the future of cosmetic testing is headed; it’s about recognizing where science has already taken it. Congress can help ensure federal policy reflects that progress and supports more innovation to protect both people and animals.”

“The beauty industry has demonstrated that innovation, consumer safety and animal welfare can advance together. The Humane Cosmetics Act represents an opportunity to bring federal policy in line with the progress already occurring in laboratories, boardrooms and manufacturing facilities across the country.”

As Rep. Beyer noted during the discussion: “Cosmetics testing on animals is a cruel, outdated practice that the majority of the global cosmetics industry has already abandoned. I introduced the Humane Cosmetics Act to bring federal law in line with the rest of the world and end this unnecessary animal cruelty without hurting American businesses. I’m grateful to all of our partners who are helping push this bipartisan initiative forward.”

Together, their comments capture an important truth: the conversation is no longer about whether alternatives exist. The conversation is about how quickly public policy can catch up to scientific progress. The industry, consumers, animal welfare advocates and policymakers increasingly agree that innovation, consumer safety and animal welfare can advance together.

Consumers are already there. In a 2024 survey, approximately 85% of US adults indicated support for replacing animal testing with modern, non-animal alternatives. Today’s beauty consumers increasingly expect products that are safe, effective, and developed using the most advanced science available. They do not view consumer safety and animal welfare as competing priorities. Instead, they expect both. Global markets are moving in the same direction. More than 45 countries have fully or partially eliminated cosmetic animal testing, including major markets such as the European Union, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. As beauty brands increasingly operate across borders, regulatory approaches that recognize modern safety science help support innovation, consistency, and consumer confidence worldwide.

Importantly, advancing beyond animal testing does not mean compromising on safety. Consumer safety remains the foundation of our industry’s mission. Every day, millions of people rely on personal care products, and maintaining trust in those products requires rigorous scientific evaluation. Modern non-animal approaches are helping researchers generate safety data in ways that are increasingly sophisticated, relevant, and aligned with the latest scientific understanding. This is also part of a broader movement toward regulatory modernization. Across government, regulators are exploring how emerging technologies and innovative scientific approaches can strengthen decision-making while reducing reliance on animal testing. Expanding the use of NAMs is consistent with these efforts and offers a pathway toward a more modern, science-based regulatory framework.

The beauty industry has demonstrated that innovation, consumer safety and animal welfare can advance together. The Humane Cosmetics Act represents an opportunity to bring federal policy in line with the progress already occurring in laboratories, boardrooms, and manufacturing facilities across the country.

Past methods will not define the future of cosmetic safety. It will be defined by better science, smarter innovation, and a shared commitment to meeting today’s consumers’ expectations.

The industry has already moved beyond animal testing. Now it is time for policy to catch up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Myers is the president and chief executive officer of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), the leading national trade association for the cosmetics and personal care products industry, representing the most innovative names in beauty today. PCPC serves as the voice on scientific, legal, regulatory, legislative and international issues for approximately 600 member companies that manufacture, distribute and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the US. Myers previously served as executive vice president for Legal & Regulatory Affairs and general counsel at PCPC, overseeing all legal and domestic regulatory issues facing the industry and was intricately involved in the operations of each department.