Reps. Sweeney, Carruthers Introduce Legislation to End Sale of Animal-Tested Cosmetics in Ohio

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) today introduced legislation to prevent the cruel and unnecessary use of animal testing in the cosmetics industry. House Bill (HB) 495 would ban the sale of cosmetic products in Ohio that have been newly tested on animals.

Traditional animal-testing for cosmetics like shampoo, aftershave, and mascara is often a cruel and barbaric practice, inflicting undue pain and suffering on small animals. Rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats may have substances forced down their throats, dripped into their eyes or smeared onto their skin. A “lethal dose” test involves forcing rats to swallow large amounts of chemicals until the subject dies so that researchers can determine the dose that causes death–an inexact and unnecessarily cruel method of testing.

“It is just plain wrong that we would accept the cruelty and torture of innocent animals for the sake of adding the latest mascara to our cosmetic bag,” said Rep. Sweeney. “It’s even more unbelievable once you realize these testing practices aren’t even necessary for safety, thanks to the advancement of science & technology.”

In addition to being painful and cruel, animal testing practices are inefficient and ineffective means by which to test the safety of cosmetics for human use. Researchers and cosmetics companies have an increasing number of non-animal methods available to them that are more reliable, more accurate, and more sophisticated. Modern testing methods that use lab-grown tissue samples and computer modeling, can easily replace outdated animal testing.

“To curb the unnecessary abuse of animals, research and development teams should adopt practices that are more humane,” said Rep. Carruthers. “The technology to test product safety for consumers has advanced. Industries should embrace these new methods and leave animals out of their experiments.”

HB 495 mirrors the Humane Cosmetics Act, federal legislation that has the support of the Personal Care Products Council, the leading national trade association representing 90% of the industry. 12 states have already passed similar legislation and the testing of cosmetics on animals has been banned in 45 other countries around the world.

“Testing cosmetics products on animals isn’t just cruel; it’s completely unnecessary,” said Mark Finneran, Ohio State Director, Humane Society of the United States. “By embracing alternatives based on human biology, companies can provide safe cosmetics for consumers without harming animals. We commend Representatives Sweeney and Carruthers for championing this important step forward for Ohio."

This legislation awaits referral to a House Committee for further consideration.