India bans import of animal-tested cosmetics, animal rights activists exult

India has banned the import of animal tested cosmetics. 

Coming just few months after implementation of a national ban on cosmetics testing in India’s labs on animals, the import ban now makes India the first animal tested cosmetics free zone in South Asia.

The ban comes in the form of Rule 135-B that states, "Prohibition of import of cosmetics tested on animals. - No cosmetic that has been tested on animals after the commencement of Drugs and Cosmetics (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2014 shall be imported into the country". The notification will come into effect on 13 November, 2014 (30 days from the date of notification).

Alokparna Sengupta, Humane Society International campaigns manager, said; "With today’s historic ban on the import of newly animal-tested cosmetics, India has made history for animals in South Asia. This is a huge achievement that could not have been possible without the compassion of our government, consumers and industry. We feel confident that if this vision is applied to other areas of product testing, this can be a defining moment in the modernization of India’s safety science, with potentially hundreds of thousands more animals spared pain and suffering.”

In June, Humane Society International met with the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr   Harsh Vardhan, to present a petition of more than 70,000 signatures supporting an import ban.

Earlier this year #BeCrueltyFree campaigners in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States hailed the introduction of bills proposing national cosmetic animal test bans. Efforts by #BeCrueltyFree China also resulted in China removing mandatory animal testing for many domestically-produced cosmetics.