Cruelty Free International Welcomes Date Set by Korea to End Animal Testing for Cosmetics

SEOUL, Korea, February 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Cruelty Free International has welcomed the imminent launch of a Korean Bill, with official support, to end all testing of cosmetics and their ingredients on animals by 2017. This follows extensive negotiations by Cruelty Free International with Ministerial officials, the Food and Drug Administration and Parliamentarians, led by Rep. Jeong-Lim Moon, member of the Health and Welfare Committee, who will present the Bill to implement the proposals during March. If this goes ahead, Korea will be the second country in Asia to set out on the route to completely end animal testing for cosmetics.

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Cruelty Free International East Asia Manager, Hyung Ju Lee, said, "I am thrilled Korea has set a concrete date and commitment to ban animal testing for cosmetics ingredients and products following two years of detailed work by Cruelty Free International. I would like to thank all our negotiating partners for working with us in achieving this breakthrough. We look forward to an end to animal suffering for cosmetics in Korea."

Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of Cruelty Free International, commented, "We are delighted Korea has made the decisive move to ban cruel cosmetics, after years of preparatory work with Cruelty Free International. This is a great start to the New Year, and we call on the rest of the world to seize this opportunity to consign animal testing for cosmetics to the global history books."

Cruelty Free International is the only global campaigning organisation whose sole mission is to bring about an end to the use of animals for cosmetics tests for products and their ingredients. With offices in the UK, US, Brazil and Asia, it works with governments, regulators, companies and partner organizations worldwide and has placed the issue of animal testing on the agenda of many governments for the very first time. Cruelty Free International led the 20-year campaign for the European Union animal cosmetics testing ban in 2013.

To date significant progress has been made around the world, including in Brazil, India, Israel and New Zealand in moving towards the Cruelty Free International goal of a world free of cosmetics tests on animals.

Website: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/crueltyfreeinternational

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/crueltyfreeintl

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