In the European Union, the sale of cosmetics products that have been tested on animals has been prohibited since 2004. The cosmetic industries of various countries of the European union have voluntarily refrained from doing so since1989. And since 2009, products with ingredients that have been tested on animals, especially for cosmetic purposes, are also forbidden. The transitional period ended in 2013. This means that by law, any cosmetics product marketed in the European union is free of animal testing. this applies also to all products marketed by essence globally. But there’s another important fact you need to know: the so-called REACH regulation (registration, evaluation & authorization of chemicals) came into force in 2009. This regulation covers chemical policy requirements, which say that all ingredients must be proven to be safe – no matter whether they are well-known or brand new, synthetic or natural. in this case, “safe” means that the ingredients in the finished product will not lead to any negative health effects upon application. Nowadays, the cosmetics industry implements alternative testing methods instead of testing on animals. Alternative tests are in-vitro-tests – i.e. tests without live organisms! By the way, “in vitro” is latin and means “in a glass”. But – and this is a big “but”: many cosmetic ingredients are also used for other purposes. Almond oil, for example, is often used in cosmetics but it is also used for manufacturing other products such as pharmaceuticals. By law, medical ingredients can and must still be tested on animals to prove that they are safe for use. At least if no authorized alternative test is available. Such ingredients may later also be used in cosmetics. The important thing is: ingredients are not allowed to be tested on animals especially for cosmetics purposes. If your head isn’t spinning yet, you can read more about it here: In English: https://www.cosmeticseurope.eu/