The European Union (EU) has been at the forefront of implementing policies that completely eliminate animal testing in cosmetics safety assessment. After banning animal testing for finished products in 2004, the EU prohibited animal testing for cosmetic ingredients in 2009, and in 2013, implemented a sales ban on all cosmetic ingredients to ensure products could be distributed within Europe without animal testing. Through these measures, the EU has established the strictest regulatory environment for cosmetics-related animal testing, which is regarded as meeting the demands of consumers who desire cruelty-free consumption.

However, when certain cosmetic ingredients are classified as chemicals, cases have arisen where animal testing is required under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals). In particular, since safety reviews for Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, or Reprotoxic (CMR) substances that may be harmful to humans were included in these regulations, limited animal testing was sometimes re-allowed when cosmetic ingredients in Europe fell under these criteria. For example, in 2023, there was some controversy when the EU General Court ruled that the safety of certain cosmetic ingredients must be verified through animal testing according to REACH regulations.

To address these issues, the EU is developing a new roadmap to incorporate Non-Animal Methodologies (NAMs) into regulations. This roadmap aims to resolve the ethical issues of animal testing while securing more accurate and human-centric safety by introducing human-derived models such as AI and organoids into the cosmetics evaluation process. To achieve this, the EU is establishing a data sharing system for NAMs and streamlining regulatory approval procedures to support rapid adoption by various countries.

The EU’s animal testing regulations are becoming an important step in promoting the adoption of non-animal approaches not only in the cosmetics industry but also in chemical and other industrial sectors.