Policies & Practices
Animal Welfare
At P&G, we believe that eliminating animal testing is the right thing to do. We do not test our products on animals anywhere in the world unless required by law. We are working hard to make it obsolete. Therefore, we’ve invested almost $460 million in developing alternative, non-animal testing methods and then getting them accepted by regulators around the world. Today, we use more than 50 non-animal alternatives, half of which were invented or co-invented by P&G. We will continue working with the world’s top independent experts and partnering with leading animal protection groups such as the Humane Society of the U.S. to promote new alternatives research and regulatory acceptance of existing alternatives. This is the only way to eliminate all animal testing, globally. Learn more about our efforts:
P&G secures approval for first non-animal alternative to skin allergy testing
P&G scientists invented the first non-animal alternative method for skin allergy testing, which was recently approved from authorities. This method marks a milestone in eliminating the need for animal testing.
A new approach making existing alternatives more accurate
For many years, scientists around the world have used test tube experiments to mimic certain safety effects. However, these experiments often falsely indicate a risk where there is none. Led by P&G scientists, a group of experts developed skin models which allow much more accurate use of non-animal alternative methods.
P&G has been actively pursuing animal alternatives for nearly 40 years
Our efforts to develop alternatives to animal testing is a long journey that began several decades ago. We have achieved a lot, but we still have more work to do. We will continue our research efforts until alternatives are available for all safety questions, and accepted by global regulators.
Working with partners
At P&G, we work with international animal welfare organizations, academia, industry experts and regulators to both develop and drive the regulatory acceptance of alternatives to animal testing. Eliminating Testing Involving Animals - Our Recent Contributions
Frequently Asked Questions
You say you do not test unless required by law. What are these laws, and in which countries?
A number of countries around the world still require animal tests to ensure the safety or effectiveness of certain products and ingredients. We at P&G strongly believe that the majority of animal tests required by these authorities are scientifically unnecessary. Although we have invested almost $460 million in developing alternative, non-animal testing methods, not all global regulators and authorities accept them. Where no alternative test exists we are continuing to develop non-animal methods and work with regulatory agencies around the world on their acceptance to completely eliminate animal testing.
Does P&G use External Business Partners to conduct animal testing for P&G products?
Eliminating animal testing is the right thing to do, and we do not ask Business Partners to test P&G products on our behalf.
Does P&G test products in China?
In China, regulatory authorities do animal tests at their own discretion without any involvement of the manufacturer. These tests are scientifically unnecessary. That’s why we have been closely collaborating with international experts and Chinese authorities on the acceptance of safety assessments using non-animal tests. As a result of all of these efforts, Chinese authorities recently announced the acceptance of non-animal alternative safety assessments for a broad variety of products. We will continue to work with authorities on the acceptance of non-animal alternatives, in China and globally.