Media Advisory/Available for Comment: Senate committee examines cruelty-free cosmetics bill

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 27, 2017) - The Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act will be examined by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology tomorrow with the bill's sponsor, Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen, and representatives from Humane Society International speaking to its importance as well as to Canada's place in the global movement toward cruelty-free beauty products.

Senate Bill S-214 would prohibit cosmetic animal testing in Canada and the sale of cosmetic products or ingredients that have been newly tested elsewhere in the world. Senator Stewart Olsen spearheaded the legislation in consultation with Humane Society International/Canada and Animal Alliance of Canada as part of the largest campaign in history to end cosmetics animal testing and trade globally, #BeCrueltyFree.

WHAT: Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology begins its study of Bill S-214, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (cruelty-free cosmetics).

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

WHERE: Room 2, Victoria Building, Ottawa, Ontario.

WHO: Troy Seidle, Senior Director, Research & Toxicology Department - Humane Society International, is available for comment.

Facts:

• The Food and Drugs Act requires that all cosmetics sold in Canada be safe when used as intended, but does not specifically require animal testing to substantiate safety.
• Thirty-seven countries and major markets have already passed laws to end or limit cosmetic animal testing and/or sales, including the 28 member countries of the European Union, India, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and Guatemala. The #BeCrueltyFree campaign led by HSI and its partners has been a key player in securing many of the national bans in place today, and is pushing similar legislation in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Mexico, the United States and other countries.
• According to polling by The Strategic Counsel of behalf of Animal Alliance and HSI, 88 percent of Canadians agree that testing new cosmetics is not worth animal suffering, and 81 percent of Canadians support a national ban on animal testing of cosmetics and their ingredients.
• More than 110,000 Canadians have signed HSI's #BeCrueltyFree petition to date.
• More than 600 cosmetic companies are certified "cruelty-free" in North America, avoiding animal testing by relying on thousands of existing ingredients already established as safe, combined with available state-of-the-art non-animal test methods.
• An ever-growing number of alternatives to animal testing have been developed with financial support from governments and industry, and accepted by regulatory authorities. Examples include human cell-based models for skin and eye irritation, skin allergy, skin absorption, genetic toxicity and sunlight-induced "phototoxicity".

#BeCrueltyFree is the largest campaign in history to end cosmetics animal testing, with branches in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan and the United States. #BeCrueltyFree Canada is a partnership between Humane Society International and the Animal Alliance of Canada - online at becrueltyfree.ca

Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the Web at www.hsicanada.ca