China's Animal Testing Requirement Puts Western Cosmetics Firms In A Bind

While Western cosmetics companies are excited by the prospect of continuing growth in China’s $32 billion beauty products market, they are also in a quandary regarding the country’s requirement that cosmetics be tested first on animals before selling them to local consumers. Hundreds of thousands of animals are reportedly killed each year in tests required by the government for all new beauty and personal-care products, according to animal rights group Cruelty Free International. United States, European, and Indian regulators have already banned animal testing, with the European Union expanding the ban to outlaw sales of new products tested on animals elsewhere.