Law 2047 cosmetics animal testing ban
Law & Regulation
In Effect
August 10, 2020
Summary
On 10 August 2020, Colombia promulgated Law 2047 in Diario Oficial No. 51.402, establishing a national prohibition on the experimentation, importation, exportation, manufacture, and commercialisation of cosmetic products, their ingredients, or combinations that are the object of animal testing after the law’s main prohibitions enter into force. Those prohibitions became operative four years after promulgation, on 10 August 2024. Two exceptions are specified: when an ingredient must undergo safety testing due to health or environmental risks and no validated alternative test methods exist, and when animal-derived safety data for an ingredient were generated for non-cosmetic purposes. The law mandates that the Colombian State promote and incentivise the development of alternative test methods through financial, tax, and other mechanisms. Infringements are sanctionable with fines of up to 50,000 monthly legal minimum wages, imposed by the National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance (INVIMA). Implementing regulation was subsequently issued as Resolution 814 of 2026 by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, establishing technical requirements including a first-party declaration of conformity to INVIMA as a condition for obtaining mandatory health notification. Law 2047 was introduced by House Representative Juan Carlos Losada and was unanimously approved by both chambers of Congress before promulgation by President Iván Duque.
Background Context
Before Law 2047, Colombian law contained no nationwide statutory prohibition specifically targeting animal use in cosmetic product testing, though general animal protection norms and sectoral health regulations applied. The bill was introduced in 2018 by Representative Losada and was debated and approved unanimously by both chambers of Congress. The initiative built on global regulatory trends including the European Union’s prohibition on marketing cosmetics tested on animals and similar measures in other jurisdictions, which were cited by proponents during the Colombian legislative debate. Colombian and international advocacy organisations supported the bill.
System Impact
System Scale Direction
System Contraction
Type
Alters Legal Basis
Significance
Moderate
Law 2047 was promulgated on 10 August 2020 with a four-year vacatio legis. On 10 August 2024, the law’s main prohibitions entered into force, making it illegal to conduct cosmetic-related animal testing in Colombia or to import, export, manufacture, or commercialise cosmetic products or ingredients that were tested on animals after that date, subject to the two specified exceptions. INVIMA holds sanctioning authority for violations, with fines of up to 50,000 monthly minimum wages. The law created a positive obligation for the State to promote and fund alternative test methods, including through financial and tax incentives. Following the prohibitions’ entry into force, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MinCIT) and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC) led coordinated government enforcement and awareness campaigns publicising the ban and informing the cosmetics supply chain of compliance requirements. Resolution 814 of 2026 established that manufacturers and importers must file a first-party declaration of conformity with INVIMA as a condition for obtaining mandatory health notification, with verification and market controls enabling enforcement against non-compliant products. No court decisions suspending or annulling Law 2047 have been identified in sources consulted through 2026.
Anticipated Effects
If implemented as written and enforced by INVIMA, the prohibition would restrict manufacturers and importers from relying on newly generated animal test data for cosmetics sold in Colombia, except where no validated alternative exists or where animal tests were conducted for non-cosmetic regulatory purposes.
If the State implements the mandated promotion of alternative test methods through financial and tax incentives, research and testing practices in the Colombian cosmetics sector would be expected to shift toward non-animal approaches over time, reducing reliance on animal testing within the sector.
Whether the prohibition reduces the absolute number of animals used in cosmetic testing globally, or primarily redirects testing activities to jurisdictions without equivalent bans, depends on supply chain responses that are not documented in available sources.
Significance Rationale
The law targets a defined sector — cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients — within the broader Research & Testing system. It does not regulate animal use in pharmaceuticals, food production, or other major testing sectors. The Colombian cosmetics market is significant regionally, but the direct effect on animal numbers is not quantified in available sources, supporting Moderate rather than High significance.
Within The System
Key Actors
Law 2047 was adopted by the Congress of the Republic of Colombia and promulgated by President Iván Duque Márquez on 10 August 2020. Representative Juan Carlos Losada (House of Representatives) is identified as the principal legislative sponsor. INVIMA holds primary enforcement authority with sanctioning powers up to 50,000 monthly minimum wages. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection issued Resolution 814 of 2026. MinCIT and MinTIC led enforcement and awareness campaigns from 2024. The directly regulated entities are manufacturers, importers, exporters, and distributors of cosmetic products and their ingredients in Colombia.
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