The ugly side
india recently took an important step towards preventing cruelty against animals when it banned the mandatory testing of cosmetics and toiletries on live animals. It became the first country in Asia to do so. The ban was announced at a recent meeting of members of the cosmetics sectional committee, the panels for microbiological and dermatological testing of cosmetics, including representatives of major cosmetics companies. It is now up to the manufacturers to exercise the option of conducting tests on animals.
The decision was later endorsed by the Bureau of Indian Standards and the ministries of health and environment. The ban, however, does not extend to "novel ingredients or products formulation', in which case, the manufacturers have to continue with the usual testing on animals. As per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1941, each batch of cosmetics like lipsticks, mascaras, eye-liners, creams and shampoos had to be compulsorily tested on animals such as squirrels, monkeys and rabbits. Some of these tests entailed blinding of these animals, feeding them lipsticks which contain a high dose of arsenic and killing them after the tests.