Hi Cathy,

Sorry for the late reply here. I must have missed this comment. Only brands who manufacture some ordinary cosmetics and sell them only in China are able to avoid animal testing. If they sell their products in other markets outside of China, they are not able to bypass testing.

Some items sold online don’t need to be tested on animals, but items physically sold there do. With L’Oreal, for example, they are registered as a business in China. So no matter how the products are bought, animal testing is being conducted. You may want to read the following post to help explain – Are Items Imported into China Tested on Animals?

Hi Cathy!

This is a great question. First off, the brand is incorrect that China no longer requires animal testing. While they have taken steps to reduce animal testing, it is still required in most situations. About shipping into China, this can occur in rare occasions without animal testing. You can read more about that here – Are Items Imported Into China Tested on Animals? I hope this helps!

Thank you for your research! I have a question though.
Do you know what this means for companies that produce ordinary cosmetics only, manufacture their products in China, but also export them to other countries?

I got a reply from one brand that they sell in China, but aren’t required to do animal testing because they’re also manufactured there. However they’re sold in other countries as well.

I would appreciate any insight on the topic. Chinese law is super confusing.

Could you help me figure out what that means for that brand? Am I right in assuming that cosmetics shipped to China but not sold there at a physical retailer do not need to be tested? Or is the brand lying to me? I will clarify if they have any physical retailers/distributors in China, but I’m still unclear about the laws when shipping from an online store.

I’ll appreciate if you can help with any information that you have on the topic!

Thank you for your time!

I think confusing as possible is definitely the correct term for it! haha

Hi Carol,

This law won’t change anything for international brands. At this time, it only effects certain products that are being made and sold in China by non-international brands. I hope this helps to clarify.

Hi Elena,

MAC does still test on animals, as do many large brands. The EU ban on animal testing was not a full ban in the sense that just because a brand is sold in the EU does not mean that it is cruelty free. The EU ban did not effect brands who test on animals outside of the EU, as required by law, etc. You may want to read this post to give you more information – What Does the EU Ban on Animal Testing Mean for Brands Selling Where Testing is Required by Law?

Several animal organizations are speaking with various animal organizations there. It’s unclear to me who weighs in on their decision making process though.