We are very pleased to be welcoming in the New Year with some good news. Today's the day that cruelty free cosmetics laws in California, Nevada and Illinois all come into effect, meaning that it is now illegal in those states to sell any cosmetic product tested on animals after January 1, 2020.

We took this as an opportunity to celebrate, Cruelty Free International style, outside the California Capitol building. Dancers dressed as rabbits – the animals who suffer most often in cruel cosmetics tests – thanked legislators in California, Nevada and Illinois while holding placards in a range of world languages calling for cosmetics animal testing to end globally once and for all.

The dancers also urged Congress to act quickly to pass the new Humane Cosmetics Act which would end cosmetics testing on animals across the United States.

Monica Engebretson, our Head of Public Affairs North America, said: “History has shown that state activity often leads to changes at the federal level. These state efforts have served as a catalyst to bring stakeholders to the table and helped inform a way forward for the national approach that is now reflected in the new Humane Cosmetics Act. We have seen that progress is possible when companies, consumers, advocates, scientists and lawmakers work together to find creative solutions to reach a common goal.”

Watch our celebration video here.

If you live in the US, you can help by contacting your Representative and asking them to support the Humane Cosmetics Act. You can also call your Representative and Senator and leave a brief message telling them to sign on as a cosponsor (phone the U.S. Capitol Switchboard on (202) 224-3121), and you can help promote the bill on social media with hashtags #HumaneCosmeticsActNow and #CrueltyFreeUSA.