Ruling Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Wang Yu-min has introduced a bill that would ban the testing of cosmetic products on animals.
The bill would also ban any cosmetic products that were developed using animal testing from being sold in Taiwan. The bill would give manufacturers a one- to three-year grace period, allowing them time to phase out animal testing.
Around 115 million animals are used as test subjects every year. Of these, more than one million undergo testing in Taiwanese labs. Animals are repeatedly force fed and have the ingredients for cosmetic products put in their eyes and on their skin.
Wang Yu-min says that the bill is designed to bring Taiwan’s cosmetic industry up to international standards. The European Union has banned the use of animals in cosmetics testing and the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. Similar bans are in place in India, Israel and New Zealand.
Wang’s bill only allows for animal testing if there are no substitutes for potentially dangerous ingredients, the ingredients could pose a significant danger to consumers, and a report indicates the need for animal testing.