The Cruelty-Free trend - a lucrative market

 

In the past few years, a growing number of customers have preferred quality, vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics. That is to say, products that have not been tested on animals. Moreover, companies need to be aware of new regulations about testing on animals. This cruelty-free trend, now global, appeared after the rejection of fur. For consumers concerned about these issues, it is now easier to identify beauty products not tested on animals, thanks to initiatives like the Leaping Bunny certification program launched by Cruelty Free International. Thanks to this label, brands that do not use these experiments can display a logo in the shape of a rabbit on their products to attest to their certification. Now, cruelty-free cosmetics have become one of the fastest growing cosmetic market segments. Companies wanting to follow this trend have had to align themselves and find alternatives.

 

Alternatives

There is still a great deal of progress to be made and research to be conducted to replace each test carried out on animals by a test excluding their use. What is more, today there are many alternatives to avoid these practices. Accoding to Chris Flower, more than 200 alternative methods to animal research have been developed and validated by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (Chris Flower). These include microdosing, non-invasive imaging techniques and simulations on computer.

 

Market

Due to the increasing awareness of consumers regarding the harmful effects of animal testing, the demand for cruelty-free cosmetics is soaring. During the forecast period from 2019 to 2024, the global cruelty-free market is expected to achieve a growth rate of 6.0%. In addition, by 2024, the market size is estimated to reach US$10 billion. A study of 1,000 people shows that "not tested on animals" is the number one argument for buyers of beauty products, with 57% of respondents preferring this information to other selling points. In addition, 43% of participants say they are prepared to spend more money on products that are not tested on animals. If they haven't already done so, companies should start investing in alternatives in order to integrate this promising market and not be excluded from it either because of regulations or the growing demand for cruelty-free products.

 

Regulations

Every year, new regulations about testing products or ingredients on animals appear all around the world. In some countries, it is illegal to sell cosmetics tested on animals. For instance, since 2013 the European Union has banned animal testing whether for ingredients or for products (PETA). Since then, other countries have instituted bans on animal testing such as Norway, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey, India, Guatemala, Taiwan, and New Zealand. While in other countries this practice is even compulsory. In China, it is forbidden to sell cosmetics that have not previously been tested on animals.

The case of China

The cosmetics market in China has experienced significant growth in recent years. According to BusinessFrance, it is now assessed as the second largest world market after the United States and the largest market in Asia ahead of Japan. Today, the Chinese cosmetics market is worth more than 17 billion euros. 80% of the Chinese cosmetics market is dominated by foreign brands. In January 2020, the Chinese State Council passed a law allowing imported cosmetic products that have not been tested on animals. This applies to non-special cosmetic products, such as shampoos, shower gels, lotions and makeup. It could mean exciting progress, but it doesn't mean the end of all animal testing in China just yet. The recently implemented law still does not apply to so-called "special" products (ie hair dyes, perms, whitening products, sun products and anti-hair loss products). Therefore, although passing this law is an important step, the animals used in the experiments still need help.

 

To conclude, the cruelty-free market is booming and represents a very lucrative market for cosmetics companies. Several countries have even banned animal testing in favor of alternative methods. Others continue to demand animal testing. Although China has agreed to consider alternatives to animal testing for some of their products, unfortunately we are still a long way from a law banning animal testing. It is therefore a great advance to celebrate but to put into perspective.

Alexandra COSSON