A legal battle over animal testing in Europe has led to a threat that has become a major marketing tool for cosmetics companies: selling their shampoos and skin creams as “cruelty-free”.
The European Union banned animal testing for cosmetics in 2013, a move that has been applauded by activists and sparked a string of counterfeiting legislation elsewhere. But the European Court of Justice is now considering a case in which the EU chemicals regulator asked a manufacturer to conduct animal testing on two cosmetics to address concerns about the safety of workers.