Buying makeup has often consisted of finding the right finish, the perfect shade and the most "worth-it" product, but how often have you checked whether your favorite brands participate in animal testing? It’s easy to forget that cosmetic companies still practice animal testing, however, California has become the first state to officially ban this testing method.

Glamour reported that the legislative bill was first introduced in February of this year by Senator Cathleen Galgiani, and just this past Friday the state legislature passed the bill to outlaw the sale of beauty products that have been animal-tested, which will be effective January 2020.

Five years ago, The European Union presented a policy that’s similar to the ban California just passed, and there are also 40 other countries who have already banned any product-related animal testing.

Sadly, the FDA still advises cosmetics manufacturers to "employ whatever testing is appropriate and effective for substantiating the safety of their products." However, people like Galgani and Judie Mancuso, the founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation, have voiced how the ban can be better for consumers as well as businesses:

"This policy is tried and true, as the European Union implemented a similar law and the sky didn't fall. Animals have been saved while companies have flourished and grown without cruelty as part of their business model," stated Judie Mancuso.

California’s ban declares that it will be illegal to "sell any cosmetic in California if the final product or any component of the product was knowingly tested on animals after January 1, 2020," according to Byrdie Beauty.

photo: Sustainable Shopper

Although the ban is only in California, it will more than likely create a ripple effect to other brands to stop selling products that have been tested on animals. While we do have to wait a year and some change until the ban takes place, it doesn’t mean we can’t shop cruelty-free before then — cruelty-free brands have a small bunny logo on the packaging. Check out some of our favorite cruelty-free brands below:

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