As we all know, animal experiments are cruel, unreliable, and even dangerous .There are many countries which support against animal testing. Nowadays, chinese governmanet are trying to implement some policies to replace animal testing. This is a good news for import companies. As animal testing is like a trade barrie which blocked freign companies outside China. I firmly support Cruelty free and against the use of animals as research tools.
China is an increasingly interesting market for many American and European cosmetics brands. Last year alone, the cosmetics market in China was worth over 26 billion – and the sales are rising quickly.
This makes it very attractive for companies.
It might be shocking to learn that animal testing is required by law in China for all foreign cosmetics companies. This means that all the big American and European cosmetics brands that are currently sold in China, must undergo animal testing. Some of these big brands include MAC, Clinique, and even Benefit.
Here are only some of the companies that are currently selling their products in China, and are not considered to be cruelty-free.
BRANDS THAT SELL IN CHINA
- Chanel
- Dior
- Givenchy
- Guerlain
- Estee Lauder
- MAC
- Clinique
- Benefit
- Lancome
- Shiseido
- Calvin Klein
- Covergirl
- Maybelline
- Revlon
- Rimmel London
- Avon
- Mary Kay
- Vichy
- La Roche Posay
- Avene
- Caudalie
- L’Occitane
- Burberry
- Garnier
- Michael Kors
- Dolce & Gabbana
- Olay
- Origins
- L’Oreal
- Stila
- Tom Ford
- OPI
- Nivea
- Neutrogena
- EOS
- Aerin
What Does Chinese Law Say?
Chinese law requires mandatory animal testing on all cosmetics products that are manufactured outside of China. This includes:
- Makeup
- Perfume
- Skincare
- Nail Products
- Hair Proucts
- Hair Dye
- Deodorant
- Sunscreen
- Whitening Products
On June 30th 2014, China lifted the animal testing requirement for cosmetics manufactured within the country. This is a big and important step. Testing on animals isn’t mandatory anymore for local products, but it’s not banned. So even though there are alternative testing methods available for those products.
New Channels for Foreign brands entering into China without animal testing
- HK
We use the term “mainland China” to refer to the People’s Republic of China, which does not include Hong Kong.
The animal testing law does not apply to cosmetics sold in Hong Kong. This is a very important factor to consider!
For instance, Lush sells products in Hong Kong, but not in the rest of China. This could be the case for other brands that are “sold in China”. Whenever I ask a company if its products are sold in China, I always include Hong Kong as an exception.
- Airports
Also not subject to this law are products sold in Chinese airports. This is how The Body Shop tried to dodge the law, but they removed their stores from China’s airports after learning that animal testing might still be conducted even on products that already hit the shelves. It’s therefore not safe to assume that airport stores will not test on animals, and if a company sells products in Chinese airports, it can’t be considered cruelty-free.
- Cross-Border
Cross-border e-commerce is a business model involving cross-border trade and distribution on e-commerce platforms, which enables international shoppers to search online for discounts or items unavailable domestically.
With the establishment of free trading zones, oversea merchants would benefit from expanding their business into new areas and offering a wider product range to service a global market.
If you want to know more informaiton about cross-border e-commerce, feel free to contact me.