New star-studded push for the Humane Cosmetics Act on Capitol Hill

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson

By on September 21, 2023 with 0 Comments

We took to the halls of power in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a full day of events in support of the Humane Cosmetics Act, H.R. 5399, a bill to end animal-based cosmetics testing in the U.S, usher in a new era of cutting-edge testing methods, and prohibit the sale here of cosmetics newly tested on animals in other countries.

The day included a Capitol Hill briefing, appearances by key sponsors in the House, congressional meetings with celebrity guests Tricia Helfer and Lala Kent, and a capstone event, staged with the help of our corporate partner Lush Cosmetics, at a rooftop venue overlooking the U.S. Capitol. The event featured a screening of “Save Ralph,” our star-studded stop-motion animation short film about a rabbit “tester” in a laboratory.

End cosmetics testing on animals!

The most important thing to know about the Humane Cosmetics Act is this: The U.S. has failed to keep pace with the rest of the world when it comes to ending the use of animals for cosmetics testing. But now we have the opportunity to make that happen here, in the world’s largest market for cosmetics, with annual sales of nearly $50 billion. For years, we’ve worked closely with industry leaders, elected officials, scientists, regulators and other animal organizations to set the stage for success.

The momentum is with us. The European Union began phasing out animal use to assess the safety of cosmetics produced and sold within its borders more than 15 years ago, and today some 44 nations worldwide prohibit or limit such uses of animals, thanks in large part to the efforts of Humane Society International and nonprofit and industry partners, with similar policy measures in development in Chile and South Africa. And over the last few years, 11 American states have enacted laws to ban the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. But a federal ban on cosmetics animal testing has proved elusive.

The prospects for passage of federal legislation increased dramatically four years ago when the Personal Care Products Council pledged its support for the Act. PCPC is the voice of more than 600 member companies comprising the $529 billion global cosmetics and personal care products market, including some 90% of the American beauty products industry. We’ve worked closely with its leadership to align our strategy for successful passage of the measure. In this 118th Congress, we think that’s within reach.

And there’s no time to lose.

The path to this moment has been a long one, from the emergence of the original 3Rs rubric for addressing the dilemma of animal suffering in research, testing and education (refinement, replacement, reduction) in the late 1950s, to the creation in 1980 of the Coalition to Stop Draize Rabbit Blinding Tests—four hundred institutional members strong—which launched an historic campaign to drive awareness and pressure multinational corporate giants to commit funds and scientific expertise to the challenge of replacing animal tests, to the advancement of a burgeoning worldwide market in cruelty-free cosmetics.

This progress amounts to a stunning transformation in science, commerce, culture, consumer influence and public policy. It has mobilized millions of dollars in investments tied to non-animal methods and their validation and spared tens of millions of animals over the course of the last half century. It’s a paradigm shift almost entirely driven by the heart and will of millions of citizens worldwide. This is how change occurs.

Now is the time for the political investments needed to get the bill through. U.S. Representatives Don Beyer, D-Va., Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., Ken Calvert, R-Calif., and Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., are the House leads for the bill. In the last congress, 188 House and 20 Senate legislators stood behind the Humane Cosmetics Act as cosponsors.

In “Save Ralph,” Ralph is interviewed as he goes about his daily routine as a rabbit “tester” in a laboratory. Deaf in one ear and blind in one eye, he’s resigned to his fate, even as the other rabbits in the laboratory, taking note of his new celebrity, urge him to implore the documentarians to “get us out of here.” Ralph and friends, we’re listening.

Tell your legislators to support the Humane Cosmetics Act.

Sara Amundson is president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

Animals need humane-minded voters to act on their behalf. Register now.

By on September 19, 2023 with 1 Comment
Animals need humane-minded voters to act on their behalf. Register now.

In the U.S., today is National Voter Registration Day, which is a chance to recognize and celebrate the potential of our collective role and influence as voters. Now more than ever, our nation needs compassionate, courageous legislators to act in support of animals and to . . . 

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The ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ finally does the greatest thing for animals

By on September 18, 2023 with 8 Comments
The ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ finally does the greatest thing for animals

After being shuttered for six years because of flagging ticket sales and financial troubles, a new kind of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will kick off a nationwide circus tour this month, this time without a single animal caged, held captive and forced . . . 

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By on September 15, 2023 with 7 Comments
Fur is disappearing from fashion and design culture amid concerns for animals and the environment

On the runways at the just-ended New York Fashion Week, there was pink tulle and tattered denim, black mesh and purple fringe, handmade kente cloth and 3D-printed metallic apparel. The Area brand used the opportunity to debut its faux fur gowns with imitation bones and . . . 

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Brutal killing of African elephant highlights need to end trophy hunting

By on September 13, 2023 with 5 Comments
Brutal killing of African elephant highlights need to end trophy hunting

We have just learned about a heartless and illegal hunt that took the life of a male elephant in South Africa’s Limpopo province earlier this month. Here’s what we know at this point: The hunting party consisted of a trophy hunting client, a hunting guide, . . . 

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Ingenious idea aims to decrease human conflict with endangered elephants

By on September 11, 2023 with 2 Comments
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A new way of seeing elephants could help save their lives. That’s the idea behind an innovative pilot project in Dong Nai by Humane Society International and the Viet Nam government that uses images of elephant families from motion-triggered camera traps to catalogue the unique . . . 

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Helping hundreds of families and their animals after Hurricane Idalia

By on September 7, 2023 with 0 Comments
Helping hundreds of families and their animals after Hurricane Idalia

When we learned that Hurricane Idalia would likely make landfall, we identified the best means for us to help care for animals in a potential crisis and support the people who care about them. Fighting the big fights for animals sometimes means exactly this: Being . . . 

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Annual ‘celebration’ highlights the need to stop cruelty to horses

By on September 6, 2023 with 14 Comments
Annual ‘celebration’ highlights the need to stop cruelty to horses

Last week, members of the Humane Society of the United States’ Equine Protection team traveled to Tennessee to evaluate the condition of the horses at the 85th annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. In the weeks leading up to the show, we posted billboards in . . . 

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Mistreated exotic animals highlight the need for ‘Better CARE’ law

By on August 31, 2023 with 2 Comments
Mistreated exotic animals highlight the need for ‘Better CARE’ law

The mistreatment of animals is a matter of injustice, and so it’s only fitting that the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in to stop cruelty at Even Keel Exotics in Temperance, Michigan. The DOJ’s recent resolution of a complaint against the facility’s owner, animal dealer . . . 

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Scientist advancing alternatives to animal experiments honored with HSUS/HSI award  

By on August 30, 2023 with 0 Comments
Scientist advancing alternatives to animal experiments honored with HSUS/HSI award  

This week, we presented the Russell & Burch Award to Dr. Donald Ingber, a professor at Harvard University and the founding director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. Dr. Ingber is one of the pioneers behind the development of organ-on-a-chip technology, . . . 

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EATS Act could devour animal welfare laws and must be stopped

By on August 29, 2023 with 7 Comments
EATS Act could devour animal welfare laws and must be stopped

Americans are taking a stand against one of the gravest assaults on animal welfare, unfolding right now in the U.S. Congress, where a radical faction of the pork industry is pushing to include the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act (H.R. 4417/S. 2019) in the . . . 

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Trophy hunters say they economically benefit local communities. Audit tells another story. 

By on August 25, 2023 with 4 Comments
Trophy hunters say they economically benefit local communities. Audit tells another story. 

Those involved in trophy hunting are quick to tout its purported benefits to local communities in the nations in which their killing of rare and endangered animals takes place. But a new exposé suggests the truth about who the actual beneficiaries are, and it’s not . . . 

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