8
If you are looking for cosmetics and care products that have not been tested on animals, you will not find any reliable information at Balea. Although the DM brand advertises that it does not conduct animal testing, you cannot be sure.
Animal testing in the cosmetics industry
- Since March 2013, a law has prohibited cosmetics companies from conducting or commissioning animal testing for their products or ingredients if the products are to be marketed within the EU.
- That sounds good at first. However, there are loopholes. The law only applies to products that came onto the market after March 2013. If a product has been around for longer, it may well have been tested on animals.
- On the other hand, this ban on animal testing only applies to ingredients that are used exclusively in cosmetics and personal care products. Ingredients that are also found in other products are subject to the Chemicals Act—and here, animal testing is still permitted. Cosmetics contain many ingredients that are also used in cleaning products and detergents, in medicines, and even in paints. These ingredients may well have been tested on animals.
- Furthermore, the law only states that products sold within the EU may not be tested on animals. If a company operates on the global market, it can of course also carry out animal testing for all countries outside the EU. In China, for example, it is even mandatory.
Does Balea conduct animal testing?
- According to the manufacturer, DM brand Balea products are not tested on animals. Instead, their safety is proven through testing on volunteers.
- However, Balea is not included in the list of cruelty-free cosmetics and personal care products published by the animal welfare organization PETA.
- DM does not want to give a written assurance that its products or their ingredients are not tested on animals—a prerequisite for inclusion in the list.
- It is therefore impossible to answer with certainty whether Balea conducts animal testing or commissions it.
