Cosmetic animal testing ban
Law & Regulation
In Effect
October 14, 2021
Summary
On 14 October 2021, a federal decree reforming and adding provisions to Mexico’s Ley General de Salud (General Health Law) was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, prohibiting the use of animals in tests for cosmetic products and ingredients, and prohibiting the manufacture, import, or commercialisation of cosmetic products tested on animals or containing ingredients tested on animals. The reform reverses the prior regulatory framework, under which cosmetic safety testing on animals had been permitted and encouraged, subject to defined exceptions where no validated non-animal methods exist, where safety data already exist from non-cosmetic-purpose testing, or where a foreign regulatory authority requires animal data as an indispensable export condition. Sanctions for violations include product confiscation, facility closure, and criminal penalties of two to seven years’ imprisonment or fines of 200 to 2,000 UMA; manufacturers were given a 180-day regulatory transition followed by a two-year period to substitute animal tests with alternative methods. The reform followed two 2019 Senate initiatives and multi-year advocacy by Humane Society International/Mexico and Te Protejo under the #BeCrueltyFree Mexico campaign; Mexico is described by advocacy sources as the first country in North America to enact a nationwide ban on cosmetic animal testing, and the 41st country globally.
Background Context
Mexican regulatory practice historically referenced Draize eye and skin irritation tests and other animal-based protocols; NOM-039-SSA1-1993, which recognised both animal-based and limited non-animal alternative methods, was cancelled in 2003 and replaced by non-animal methods MGA0515 (skin irritability) and MGA0516 (ocular irritability) in the Farmacopea de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Senator Monreal’s April 2019 legislative initiative documented a chronological international progression of cosmetic animal testing bans, citing the European Union (2004–2014 phased bans), United Kingdom (1998), Israel, Norway, India, New Zealand, partial changes in China, Korea, Taiwan, Guatemala, Brazilian states, and sub-national laws in the United States and Canada as comparative precedent. UNAM researchers Poleth Reyes and Elizabeth Téllez are cited in the exposition of motives for academic analysis of cosmetic animal testing; AnimaNaturalis and Lush Prize materials are cited for international policy trend documentation.
System Impact
System Scale Direction
System Contraction
Type
Alters Legal Basis
Significance
High
Senator Ricardo Monreal Ávila introduced the initiating bill on 9 April 2019; Senator Verónica Delgadillo García introduced a parallel initiative on 22 October 2019. The Senate’s United Commissions of Health and Legislative Studies approved a draft decree on 19 March 2020, sent as a minuta to the Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber’s Health Commission approved its dictamen on 29 April 2021 (442–1–0), returning it to the Senate under constitutional procedure (Article 72(f)). The Senate gave final unanimous approval on 2 September 2021. The Federal Executive promulgated the decree and ordered DOF publication on 14 October 2021. The 180-day period for the Federal Executive to issue secondary implementing provisions, and the subsequent two-year manufacturer transition period, govern phased implementation. Media reporting from 2025 documents that the 180-day deadline had passed with gaps in full regulatory operationalisation, though no formal suspension or repeal of the law itself is documented. The Secretaría de Salud holds a mandate, within budgetary availability, to incentivise national research on internationally validated non-animal alternative test methods.
Anticipated Effects
If implemented and enforced as written, the measure would reduce or eliminate new cosmetic safety tests conducted on animals within Mexico for products manufactured or marketed after the transition period concludes, except where the defined exceptions apply.
If the Secretaría de Salud’s research-incentive mandate is implemented with sufficient resources, it would support development and validation of non-animal testing approaches within Mexican laboratories, altering technical practices in cosmetic safety assessment.
Whether the reform has produced a measurable reduction in the number of animals used in cosmetic testing in Mexico, or whether testing activity has been displaced to other jurisdictions, is not established in available sources.
Significance Rationale
The reform applies nationally across all Mexican states and territories, simultaneously prohibits domestic testing and restricts import/commercialisation of animal-tested cosmetics (a structurally comprehensive combination comparable to India’s 2014 cosmetic testing ban), and is supported by a detailed criminal sanctions framework (2–7 years imprisonment) exceeding the penalty structures documented in comparable records from Brazil and Colombia.
Within The System
Key Actors
Senators Ricardo Monreal Ávila and Verónica Delgadillo García introduced the initiating legislation. The Senado de la República and Cámara de Diputados approved the decree through their respective health and legislative studies commissions. The Federal Executive promulgated and published the decree. The Secretaría de Salud holds implementation and enforcement-related responsibilities. Humane Society International/Mexico and Te Protejo led the #BeCrueltyFree Mexico advocacy campaign. AnimaNaturalis and Lush Prize materials informed the legislative exposition of motives. Cosmetic manufacturers, importers, and marketers operating in Mexico are the directly regulated industry actors.
Notice an inaccuracy or omission?
If you believe information on this page is incorrect, incomplete, or missing important context, you may submit a suggested correction for review.