America Takes a Step Back on Animal Testing: Chemical Sunscreens Will No Longer Be Cruelty-Free

In America, some ingredients contained in sunscreens will be tested on animals again, following regulatory updates proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) , the US federal agency that regulates food and pharmaceutical products (in America, sunscreens are considered over-the-counter drugs and not cosmetics). The news was reported by BeautyMatter , who spoke with an FDA representative: the American regulations on sunscreens – dating back to 1999 – are undergoing revisions following the 2019 discoveries according to which some ingredients can be absorbed through the skin . To verify their safety, the new requirements proposed by the FDA include animal testing of chemical ingredients for sunscreen (physical filters will be exempt, however, because zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are ingredients considered "fat", or “Generally Recognized As Safe and Effective”, therefore compliant with the regulations).

“New data have shown that many sunscreen ingredients that were previously thought to remain on the surface are actually absorbed through the skin and into the body. While many drugs do not pose risks from systemic exposure, there is currently no scientifically reliable way to predict these potential risks, other than animal studies ,” the FDA representative explained to BeautyMatter.

Resistance to alternative tests has always been a major obstacle in the fight against animal testing, all over the world. In Europe, testing cosmetics on animals is prohibited by law , yet it continues to be done, because exceptions to the regulation are allowed in specific cases of environmental, pollution and safety tests requested by the European Chemicals Agency. The main problem concerns the modernization of laboratories, therefore the costs, which is why the battle to ban animal testing is first and foremost political .

“Science is advancing much faster than regulation, which still does not recognize its enormous progress. This is why it is essential "Put pressure on the ground : companies and governments won't do anything unless people insist," Hilary Jones, Lush Ethical Director and campaigner, told us on the occasion of the Lush Prize . "Most laboratories and equipment are set up to test on animals; training scientists and changing the technical tools are the biggest challenges we face to stop animal testing."

Animal testing is considered obsolete by many experts: many of these tests were developed in the early 1900s, such as the safety test, dating back to 1927. Yet for the FDA, animal tests are the only safe tests: "Current non-animal methods cannot reliably predict the effects that can occur through complex interactions between the drug and the human body. Further research is scientifically necessary before alternative methods can be routinely used to address such complex questions," said the representative interviewed.

This regulatory update scares the cosmetics industry . Companies are increasingly seeking certifications, starting with Peta's cruelty-free stamp, because consumers are increasingly concerned about sustainability and ethical issues surrounding the use of cosmetics. If consumers do not accept buying sunscreens tested on animals , the new proposed laws could end up significantly limiting the number of sunscreens on the market, diverting consumers to physical filters and thus pushing the cosmetics industry to put pressure on the FDA or alternatively to work on new cruelty-free sunscreen offerings.