Alternatives to Animal Testing

Animal testing has been completely banned for all cosmetic products in the EU since 2004, and for all the ingredients in these products, since 2013. Beiersdorf, of course, is in compliance with this law and has long done without animal testing whenever it was possible. We are convinced that animal testing is not required to prove the safety and effectiveness of our products. The development and recognition of alternative methods is especially important for us, even independently of this new ban. For more than 20 years we have been working successfully in expert panels and associations on in-vitro procedures and are one of the leading and most well-known and accepted research companies in the world.

We have developed a procedure, for example, which will in the future along with other tests be able to assess the allergy potential of substances without the use of animal testing. Beiersdorf Research was even recognized for its work in this area in November 2011 when it was recognized with the 30th Research Prize for "Supporting methodical work for the decrease and ultimate replacement of animal testing" by the German Federal Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). Beiersdorf Research is also developing a wide range of other alternative testing methods and we already uses many validated methods on a daily basis.

We are closely involved with the Associations of the German and European Cosmetic Industry and their special project Teams. We are cooperating with the "European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing" (EURL ECVAM) and support the OECD. We are also an active member of the "European Society of Toxicology In Vitro" (ESTIV), and since 2006, a founding member of the "European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing" (EPAA), a joint organization of the European Commission and the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical and agrochemical industries.

We are actively advocating for the worldwide acceptance of existing animal test-free alternative methods by respective authorities. We support both in terms of personnel and financially the scientific efforts to fill the gaps where alternative methods are not yet available.