Mumbai The federal Ministry of Environment and Forests plans to take "positive steps" to phase out the use of animals in cosmetic testing.
Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan gave an assurance to this effect to the representatives of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (Fiapo), who met her in New Delhi on Thursday along with their mouse mascot. The Fiapo representatives presented the minister with a hamper of cruelty-free cosmetics.
"The minister's assurance is a step in the right direction and we hope that the ministry will ban cosmetic testing in animals and set golden standards for other countries to emulate," Alokparna Sengupta, Coordinator, Animal Experimentation campaign, said. Rats, mice and guinea pigs face the brunt of all the cosmetic testing that happens for India.
Prohibited chemicals
Cosmetic testing is not mandatory is India except when manufacturers come up cosmetics with chemicals which have not been listed either in the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) document of allowed or prohibited chemicals. "For the rest of the cosmetics, it is entirely up to the manufacturers to test on animals," Fiapo governing body member Shakuntala Mujumdar said.
Meanwhile, the Fiapo delegation complimented the minister for India's recent prohibition of animal experiments from science education and training "which will consequently spare millions of animals from pain and death in the country's schools and universities".
