Chile Becomes 45th Country To Ban Cosmetic Testing On Animals
Andrea Powell
A huge victory has been won for animals in Chile after several years of campaigning by Humane Society International (HSI) and ONG Te Protejo.
A unanimous vote by the Senate passed a bill on December 20 that bans cosmetic testing on animals and bans the sale, marketing, and import of cosmetics tested on animals from other places in the world.
Hundreds of thousands of rabbits have endured unimaginable cruelty for "beauty" products. They are blinded, burned, and left suffering to test skin and eye products. This cruel and outdated method must come to an end. That is why HSI started the Be-Cruelty Free campaign to end the suffering and be a voice for the voiceless.
A short movie featuring their spokes-rabbit "Ralph" depicts the terrible life of a rabbit in a lab and sheds light on the barbaric testing method. It went viral in 2021 shortly after its release and resulted in more than 300,000 petition signatures in Chile.
More and more countries are seeing the light and banning cosmetic testing on animals. There are alternative methods, like scientifically proven human skin equivalent tests, that do not involve animals. Chile joins a growing list as the 45th country to end the cruelty.
"Thanks to the passion and determination of animal loving consumers, progressive beauty brands, and politicians across the globe who share our desire for a cruelty-free world, animal testing for cosmetics has been banned in 45 countries," said Daniela Benavides Sanchez, Humane Society International country director for Chile in a news release. "HSI and our partners have been instrumental in securing many of these bans, including in Brazil, Mexico, Canada, India, South Korea and Australia. Today we are delighted to welcome Chile to this list of nations and commend Juan Antonio Coloma and members of Senate for making the landmark legislation a reality."
All their hard work paid off.
"This is a milestone for our organization and for animals. Thanks to this initiative, countless animals will be saved from unnecessary cruelty in Chile," stated Nicole Valdebenito, director of awareness and advocacy at NGO Te Protejo. "In addition to suffering, these experiments are outdated compared to new methods that do not require living beings."
Be sure to purchase cruelty-free beauty products by looking for the Leaping Bunny. Find a complete list of cruelty-free products here.
