Animal Testing - Household Products [UK]

Household Products

Household products include items such as washing up liquid, polish and air fresheners. On the 1st October 2015, the government implemented a ban on the testing of household products on animals. However, animals had not been used in the UK in this way since 2010 as it is usually the chemicals being tested, not the product as a whole. The government also included a 'qualified ban' for testing ingredients, where any ingredient expected to make up at least 50% of the final product can not be tested. All other ingredients and any chemicals that require testing under legislation such as REACH are still allowed. In addition to this, products that have been tested on animals abroad may still be imported. PETA described this new legislation as a 'step in the right direction' however the RSPCA believed 'it'll make little difference to animal welfare'. Since thousands of ingredients have already been tested and proved as safe, these will not need to be tested again. Testing of ingredients in household products is still allowed, despite cosmetic testing being banned, as substances used in these products (such as bleach) are more hazardous to consumers and the environment. They are also more likely to end up in the environment in larger quantities (bleach put down toilets, air fresheners in atmosphere etc). It is often questioned why new testing needs to be carried out when there are thousands of ingredients already proven to be safe. However, new ingredients still need to be tested as an attempt to find safer, less environmentally damaging chemicals. 

More Information:

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/laboratory/testingchemicals/householdproducts

http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethicalreports/householdcleaningproductsreport/animaltesting.aspx

http://www.animalresearch.info/en/designing-research/chemical-toxicology/testing-household-products-animals/