Cruelty Free International publishes REACH guide

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

Cruelty Free International publishes REACH guide

Related tags Animal testing

Animal rights group Cruelty Free International has published a guide aiming to help cosmetics and personal care companies comply with REACH regulations on animal-free testing.

The guide has been compiled by the organisation, in association the TSGE Consulting, and aims to inform businesses about the alternatives to animal testing that have been approved under REACH.

‘How to avoid new animal tests in your 2018 REACH registration’​ is a comprehensive document that outlines the breakthrough solutions that are currently available for the EU chemical regulation in summary form.

What non-animal testing methods are approved?

REACH was adopted in 2006 and has continued to be updated in a number of areas, but particularly with respects to alternative methods to animal testing, which has had had teams of scientists and researchers working hard to find viable and effective solutions that meet with testing standards.

This has resulted in several methods being approved to fully replace some animal tests, while there are a number that have evolved as waiving options, while there have also been some significant improvements in vitro tests and computer models.

 “There are new possibilities now to avoid animal testing for skin corrosion and irritation, skin sensitisation, serious eye damage and irritation and acute toxicity tests,”​ said Dr Katy Taylor, Director of Science at Cruelty Free International.

“It is vital that registrants become familiar with these updates and ensure that they use them to avoid causing suffering to animals”.

Avoid animal testing ‘wherever possible’

According to Dr. David Andrew, principal consultant at TSGE Consulting, the adoption of new OECD test methods, together with changes to the REACH Guidance, companies trying to comply with registration by 2018 are increasingly find it possible to comply with Annex VII and Annex VIII of the regulation, while avoiding animal testing.

The REACH regulations state that wherever possible, companies should try to comply without resorting to any kind of animal testing, and should only use such tests as a last resort.

This year will also see some important changes made to the REACH annexes, which are also explained in the official REACH guidance, which in turn accommodates the new testing methods as well as deleting certain animal testing methods all together.

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