Report on the development, validation and legal acceptance of methods alternative to animal testing in the field of cosmetics (2013-2015)

This is the eleventh Commission report on the development, validation and legal acceptance of methods alternative to animal testing in the field of cosmetics.

Under Article 35 of Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products (the Cosmetics Regulation), each report must include information on:
- progress made in the development, validation and acceptance of methods alternative to animal testing;
- the Commission’s progress on obtaining the OECD’s acceptance of the alternative methods validated at EU level;
- progress on third-country recognition of the results of safety tests carried out in the EU using alternative methods;
- the specific needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This report also informs the European Parliament and the Council of compliance with the deadlines for the bans set out in Article 18(1) of the Regulation and of related technical difficulties. The report should also cover any derogations to Article 18(1) granted in accordance with Article 18(2). However, to date there have been no derogations granted under this provision.

Following the animal testing bans, which became fully applicable on 11 March 2013, the report no longer contains statistical data on the number and type of animal experiments carried out in relation to cosmetic products in the EU (as stated in the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the animal testing and marketing ban and on the state of play in relation to alternative methods in the field of cosmetics of 11 March 2013).