The “California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act” (SB1249) was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Friday September 28, 2018. The Bill was endorsed by 100 cosmetics companies.

Sponsored by Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and the group Social Compassion in Legislation, the bill would make it illegal for cosmetics manufacturers to import or sell any cosmetics in California if the final product or any of its components was tested on animals after January 1, 2020. The legislation also covers personal-hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner. A violation incurs a fine of $5000 and an additional $1000 for each day that the violation continues. Furthermore, cosmetic inventory in violation may only be sold in California for a period of 180 days thereafter.

There are many non-animal testing alternatives that are cheaper, faster, and actually superior when it comes to predicting human reactions to substances. They include the use of 3-D tissue structures produced from human cells and sophisticated computer models.

If this legislation becomes law, California would join the members of the European Union, India, Israel, and other countries that have enacted similar bans.