October 5, 2009
A History of Cosmetic and Product Testing
2005-2000 1999-1990 1989-1980 1979-1950
February: The Humane Society of the United Sates and the Calvert Asset Management Company, Inc. withdraw a shareholder resolution submitted to Allergan—the company that manufactures Botox® Cosmetic—in light of Allergan's new “Corporate Statement on Animal Testing.” The statement indicates that the company has reduced animal use in its testing protocol by 78 percent and expresses a firm commitment to developing a non-animal test to replace the animal-based test currently used to assess new batches of Botox® Cosmetic. Allergan also agrees to provide future updates on its progress. The shareholder resolution, submitted in November 2009, urged Allergan to provide publicly available annual updates on the company's efforts to eliminate the controversial Lethal Dose 50 Percent (LD 50) test and replace it with a non-animal testing alternative. The HSUS and Calvert will continue to urge Allergan to completely phase out the use of animals tests in the production of Botox. Read more »
The Humane Society of the United States’ shareholder resolution receives 8.4% of the vote at Allergan’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), comfortably exceeding the 6% minimum needed to resubmit the following year. The 7th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is held in Rome, Italy.The HSUS bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Thomas Hartung of CAAT. The EU cosmetics testing law now extends its ban to animal testing of cosmetic ingredients, as well as the marketing of cosmetic products whose ingredients have been tested on animals on or after March 11.
The Humane Society of the United States’ shareholder resolution receives 5.7% of the vote at Allergan’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), comfortably exceeding the 3% minimum needed to resubmit the following year.
The HSUS and Calvert Group re- submits shareholder resolution against Allergan asking for transparency in their efforts to develop alternatives to the LD50 for potency testing of Botox.
The Humane Society of the United State and Procter & Gamble launch AltTox.org, a website dedicated to non-animal methods of toxicity testing.
The 6th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is held in Berlin, Germany. HSUS bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Rodger Curren of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences.
HSUS, along with the Calvert Group, submits a shareholder resolution against Allergan asking for transparency in their efforts to develop alternatives to the LD50 for potency testing of Botox.
At The Humane Society of the United States’ request, ICCVAM holds the Scientific Workshop on Alternative Methods to Refine, Reduce and Replace the Mouse LD50 Assay for Botulinum Toxin Testing (Botox).
2005: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Bert van Zutphen of the University of Utrecht.
2005: HSUS submits Test Method Nomination to ICCVAM for "Alternative Methods to Replace the Mouse LD50 Assay for Botulinum Toxin Potency Testing."
2004: The Humane Society of the United States launches campaign against Botox maker Allergan, Inc., who use the infamous LD50 on animals to test potency on every batch of the popular anti-wrinkle drug.
2004: The European Union law goes into effect banning animal testing of finished cosmetic products and the sale of animal tested finished products.
2002: 4th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is held in New Orleans, Louisiana, US.
2002: HSUS bestows the Russell & Burch Award to David Morton of the University of Birmingham.
2000: The ICCVAM Authorization Act establishes ICCVAM as a permanent interagency committee.
1999: The 3rd World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is held in Bologna, Italy.
1999: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Katherine Stitzel of Procter & Gamble.
1998: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Neil Wilcox of the US Food and Drug Administration and to William Stokes of NIEHS.
1997: The US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences establishes the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods.
1997: CAAT’s Altweb, the Alternatives to Animal Testing Website, is launched.
1997: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Horst Spielmann of the German National Center for the Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Testing.
1996: The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) is created.
1996: 2nd World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is held in The Netherlands.
1996: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Andrew Rowan of Tufts University.
1995: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Robert Van Buskirk of the State University of New York at Binghamton.
1994: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Michael Balls of ECVAM.
1993: The 1st World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences is held in Baltimore, MD.
1993: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Coenraad Hendriksen of the Dutch National Institute of Health and Environmental Protection.
1992: European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) is formed.
1992: The Humane Society of the United States bestows the Russell & Burch Award to Charles Branch of Auburn University.
1991: The Humane Society of the United States bestows its first Russell & Burch Award to Alan Goldberg of CAAT.
1981: Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing is established with a $1 million grant.
1980: Henry Spira launches efforts against the Draize Test, targeting cosmetics giant Revlon. The Draize Test measures eye irritancy by placing substances in rabbits’ eyes and observing adverse effects.
1959: The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique by W.M.S. Russell and Rex Burch is published. This is the birth of the modern 3Rs movement (replace, reduce, refine the use of animals).
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