Starting January 1, 2020, the sale of animal-tested cosmetics will be illegal in the state. This bill, known as Bill 197 was first introducted in February 2019 and approved on June 1, 2019.
California passed a similar bill last year, which makes Nevada the second U.S. state to ban the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. Both bills will take effect in January 2020.
Here's an excerpt from Senator Melanie Schieble, who authored the bill:
"I am here to present S.B. 197. The intention of this bill is to prohibit the sale of cosmetic products for which testing was performed on animals.
Due to advances in modern science, animal testing has become unnecessary in cosmetic product formulation. Much of the world has already moved forward in prohibiting the practice of animal testing in cosmetic ingredients. This bill would make it illegal in Nevada to sell a product that has been tested on animals.
Our intention is not to hold small business owners responsible for the actions of larger conglomerates. Our intention is to inform larger conglomerates that products using the practice of animal testing are not welcome in Nevada.
The bill provides for necessary exemptions of products using animal testing prior to this legislation. It also provides exemptions for products requiring federal, state or foreign requirements of animal testing."
You can read the full transcript here.
Illinois and Hawaii Could Follow
So far in 2019, similar bills were also introduced in Illinois and Hawaii. These bills are paving the way to a much needed federal animal testing ban in the U.S. Although animal testing for cosmetics isn't mandatory in the U.S., companies can currently choose to have their products tested on animals for safety.
EDIT: The bill passed in Illinois as well!
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This is really confusing. It bans testing yet we’d still have products on the shelf that have been tested on animals. So it doesn’t make sense to me. I’m so confused.
Yeah! Finally we are that much closer. Thank you for letting us know.
Fantastic news! Well done all involved! ?
Hi!
So it would be safe to purchase cosmetics in Nevada, California and Illinois without searching for the Cruelty-Free stamp?
I’d personally still look for the bunny, just to make sure and because it’s such a good feeling to see it.
Thanks for all your work!
This is wonderful news!
Do you know if this will include the ban of makeup sold in mainland China? I’m trying to go over the bill, but there’s a lot of legalese that I find difficult to digest. If not, it’s still a step in the right direction, but I have a hard time believing L’Oreal will be banned from all of Nevada.