PETA Helps China Approve Animal-Free Cosmetic Test

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With some help and guidance from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)-funded scientists, China is moving one step closer to introducing its first non-animal testing method for cosmetics ingredients. The 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake Phototoxicity Assay, which tests chemicals for their potential toxicity when they come into contact with sunlight—and which is already in widespread use in the United States and the EU—is expected to be accepted in China by late summer.

Last summer, when the non-profit organization discovered China was requiring animal tests for cosmetics to be funded by cosmetics companies—including Avon, Estée Lauder and Mary Kay, which was featured on PETA's list of companies that don't test cosmetics on animals for many years—PETA awarded a grant to scientists at the Institute for In Vitro Sciences. These scientists traveled to China several times to offer their expertise and guidance in replacing animal-based tests with non-animal alternatives.

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