Animal testing of cosmetics and the marketing of products tested on animals are prohibited in the EU, as well as in Guatemala, Iceland, India, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. Directive 2003/15/EC came into force in two phases, the first between 2004 and 2009 and the second in 2013.

Ten years after that directive, the marketing of new cosmetic products tested on animals is completely prohibited, and European companies are also prohibited from testing on animals outside the EU.

On 3 May 2018, the plenary session of the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a worldwide abolition of animal testing in the cosmetics industry. The aim is for the ban to come into force by 2023.

The resolution calls on the European Union to advocate for a global abolition within the framework of the United Nations.

Alternavite in vitro assays