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Tell the FDA: Don’t test sunscreen on animals!

Thousands of mice, minipigs, and rats could suffer through inhumane experiments to test sunscreen ingredients if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration goes through with a new plan and we need your help!

The FDA is considering requiring companies to conduct new animal tests for sunscreen ingredients that have been used for decades. If this happens, companies that have already gone cruelty-free would be forced to either test on animals or be limited to just two ingredients to produce sunscreen.

Because the ingredients the FDA wants tested have been used for decades, there is already an immense amount of real-world human health data, data from past animal tests, and data from non-animal test methods available. Even if new tests were needed, testing methods that use sophisticated technologies instead of relying on animals would be much more effective. Requiring new animal tests simply does not make sense and would result in needless animal suffering.

And if companies are forced to produce sunscreen with the only remaining approved ingredients, sunscreens made with those ingredients can leave a white cast on skin, particularly for people with darker complexions, making them less desirable to some consumers.

If the FDA goes through with this plan, consumers could see many of their favorite sunscreens removed from shelves. Faced with these limited options, people may forgo using sunscreens altogether, inadvertently raising their risk for skin cancer.

In short, these new tests will negatively impact not only the animals being tested on, but also U.S. companies, and U.S. consumers. We need to let the FDA know the American public does not support this plan.

TAKE ACTION

Please use the form to send a message to the FDA Commissioner, Robert Califf, urging him to reconsider the need for companies to conduct new animal tests for sunscreen ingredients.

This action alert is for U.S. residents. International advocates, please visit Humane Society International.

Your Message

Subject*

Commissioner

Robert

Califf

FDA

Dear Commissioner Califf,

I am writing to urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to stop its plans to require new animal tests for ingredients commonly used in sunscreens sold in the U.S. Instead, the FDA can rely on the immense amount of real-world human health data, data from past animal tests, and data from non-animal test methods on these ingredients. 

If new testing is required, approaches that use a combination of computer modeling, historical animal data, in vitro studies, and epidemiological data would be more effective in determining real-world risks to humans than relying on new animal tests. Testing ingredients on animals is a notoriously unreliable predictor of how humans will react to the same ingredients. As the FDA knows, embracing human-relevant science is critical for maintaining public trust and ensuring that products are safe for consumers. Calls for new animal tests that are both unnecessary and unreliable is short-sighted.

I am concerned not only for the thousands of animals that will be subjected to unnecessary animal tests if this plan goes through, but also for the millions of U.S. residents who avoid using products tested on animals. Although zinc oxide and titanium dioxide would not require new animal tests, these ingredients can leave a white cast on skin, particularly for people with darker complexions, making them less desirable to some people. Faced with these limited options, consumers may forgo using sunscreens altogether, inadvertently raising their risk for skin cancer. 

Requiring new animal tests on sunscreen ingredients with decades of human use data, historical animal data, and the availability of modern non-animal testing strategies is simply unnecessary and will have a negative impact on animals, U.S. companies and U.S. consumers. I urge you to reconsider the plan to require new animal tests.

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