NJ bans sale of cosmetics tested on animals

New Jersey has become the latest state to adopt a ban on the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law on Monday a bill that was passed months ago unanimously by state legislators — making the state the eighth in the country to enact such a law.

The ban covers the sale of items tested on animals even out of state, though there are notable exceptions — including if such testing is required by a federal or state regulator; if an ingredient is widely-used and irreplaceable or if there is no accepted alternate way to test the product.

Starting in March 2022, retailers found to be violating the law could be fined up to $1,000.

There are no U.S. federal regulations on such testing, involving either the Food and Drug Administration or the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

As of July, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nevada and Virginia also had passed laws banning the sale of cosmetic products that have gone through animal testing, according to the Humane Society.

Globally, more than 40 countries have banned the testing of products on animals, including Mexico just last month.

Earlier this year, China amended its regulations, allowing the import of what it considers “ordinary cosmetics” into the country without the need for animal testing.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.