THE WHAT? PETA US is tightening eligibility for its cruelty-free ‘Beauty Without Bunnies’ programme, restricting listings to companies selling only in select markets as EU chemical testing rules increasingly conflict with cosmetics animal testing bans.
THE DETAILS The change follows growing tension between the EU’s Cosmetics Regulation, which prohibits animal testing for cosmetics, and the REACH framework, which mandates animal tests for certain chemical safety data. This overlap has resulted in animal testing on cosmetic ingredients despite the ban, placing brands at risk of non-compliance with cruelty-free standards. Effective immediately, PETA US will only list companies selling in the US, Canada, Germany, and India—markets where it can directly verify supply chain practices. Applications from companies selling in other countries will be suspended until the REACH-related loophole is closed.
THE WHY? The policy shift underscores the regulatory challenge for brands seeking to maintain cruelty-free status while navigating conflicting global chemical and cosmetics safety laws, with compliance to REACH posing a barrier to animal-test-free certification.
Source: PETA
