LOS ANGELES, Sept 9 ― Animal rights have been a major topic of conversation in the beauty industry recently, with cruelty-free and vegan brands gaining traction with consumers. Now, however, an entire US state has taken a bold stance on the subject.

According to Refinery29, California recently passed the "California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, SB 1249,” which will make it illegal for cosmetics tested on animals to be sold in the state as of January 1, 2020. "I'm proud of California lawmakers for moving science, industry, and ethics forward today,” said Senator Galgiani, the senator responsible for first introducing the act, in a statement. "Cruelty-free cosmetics are good for business, safe for humans, and don't harm animals.”

Earlier this year, the home spa brand Bliss became officially certified as cruelty-free by animal rights organisation PETA, while cult cosmetics brand Milk Makeup declared itself 100 per cent vegan, after eliminating animal-based products such as honey, beeswax and collagen from its formulas. A plethora of high-profile brands have brought animal rights to the forefront of the beauty conversation over the past few years, with names like vegan makeup mogul and activist Kat Von D leading the way, while multiple prolific brands such as Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and Urban Decay do not utilise animal testing for their products. Back in March a survey by online makeup and beauty app platform Perfect365 revealed that 36 per cent of users only support brands that do not test on animals.

The cruelty-free trend has also been sweeping the fashion industry, notably when it comes to the issue of brands using animal fur in their collections. Multiple luxury designers have adopted an anti-fur stance over the course of the year, including John Galliano and Donatella Versace and this week Burberry as well as London Fashion Week, while March saw San Francisco approve an ordinance for a citywide ban on fur sales from January 2019, which would forbid the sale, display and manufacturing of new fur apparel items. ― AFP-Relaxnews