Detergents: Europe says no to animal testing

Challenging policy-makers, confronting manufacturers with the reality of their practices, informing the public… For many years, we have been campaigning to end animal testing whether for cosmetics or household products. In 2024 and 2025, One Voice conducted a wide-ranging survey of manufacturers. It highlighted the vague responses and the embarrassment of many industry giants. We have also documented the suffering of the animals used in these experiments, particularly that of rabbits who are the most commonly used animals in tests involving cleaning products.

As part of the European coalition Cruelty Free Europe, One Voice has actively contributed to this advocacy work. This breakthrough proves that animal exploitation is never inevitable.

What the new regulation changes

In practical terms, what does this new regulation entail, and how far does this ban actually go?

• The amendments to Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 prohibit the use of animal testing for the production of detergents for domestic and industrial use.
• The ban applies to both ingredients and finished products, ensuring that the development, innovation and regulation of new detergents can take place without resorting to animal testing.
• This is the first ban on animal testing in European legislation since its abolition for cosmetics in 2013. These new rules will come into force three and a half years after their formal adoption, i.e. in July 2029.

Progress… and gaps

Despite these significant advances, gaps remain. The ban applies only to tests carried out “for the purposes of this Regulation”. In practice, certain molecules used in detergents may still be subject to animal testing under other regulations, such as REACH on chemical substances (paints, textile dyes, food additives, etc.).

Another limitation: unlike the situation for cosmetics, the text does not provide for a ban on the marketing of detergents that have been tested on animals outside the European Union.

A momentum that must still gather pace

There is still a long way to go since the European Union, through Directive 2010/63/EU, enacted the end of animal testing for all its Member States. An ambitious and necessary goal that we are monitoring closely with our European coalitions. Several European countries have already taken action by launching their national plans to end these practices on living beings. In 2023, the European Commission committed to drawing up a roadmap to phase out animal testing in chemical safety assessment. This document, expected in the first quarter of this year, must set out the steps to replace animal testing with modern and reliable scientific methods. It is a follow-up to the European Citizens’ Initiative “Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing”, launched in 2020 and signed by over 1.2 million citizens of the European Union.

This victory is essential, but it does not mean the fight is over. As long as a single animal can still be used to test our chemicals or medical treatments, we will continue to fight. The end of animal testing is no longer a utopian dream but a path we have embarked upon.

Europe must now set about ending animal testing without exception within its other regulations and encourage Member States that are still lagging behind, such as France. We will ensure this happens.

Detergents: Europe says no to animal testing

The European Parliament bans animal testing for detergents. A historic step forward