The government in the U.K. will allow cosmetics to be tested on animals for the first time in 25 years. It banned testing in 1998. It was still allowed on animals if there were great benefits for humans. This meant scientists could test chemicals on animals to develop new medicines. However, a court in London said animal testing for cosmetics could start again. The judges in the court followed European Union laws on the safer use of chemicals in animal testing. One chemical that can now be tested on animals is already widely used. It is in sunscreen, foundation and skincare products. The U.K. government said it was "committed to the protection of animals in science".

英国政府25年来首次允许在动物身上进行化妆品试验。1998年，该国禁止了化妆品对动物实行测试，但仍允许在对人类有重大益处时在动物身上进行实验。这意味着科学家可以在动物身上测试化学物质来开发新药。然而，伦敦一家法院表示，化妆品的动物实验可能会重新开始。法院的法官遵循欧盟关于在动物试验中更安全使用化学品的法律。目前已有一种化学品可在动物身上进行测试，它广泛用于防晒霜、粉底和护肤产品中。英国政府表示，将“致力于保护科学研究中的动物”。

Many people are angry with the government's decision. Surprisingly, many cosmetics companies are unhappy. A group called Cruelty Free International, which is made up of over 80 cosmetics brands, wrote a letter to the U.K. government. It said changing the law was a terrible decision. A spokesperson for the Body Shop said: "Allowing animal testing for cosmetics would be a devastating blow to the millions of people who have supported campaigns to end this appalling practice." A scientist at Unilever, one of the world's largest cosmetic companies, said testing was "unnecessary". She said that with today's technology, testing could be carried out without using animals.

许多人对政府的决定感到愤怒。令人惊讶的是，许多化妆品公司对此并不满意。由80多个化妆品品牌组成的“Cruelty Free International”组织给英国政府写了一封信。表示修改法律是一个糟糕的决定。The Body Shop的一位发言人说:“允许动物试验化妆品对数百万支持结束这一可怕做法的人来说，将是一个毁灭性的打击。”全球最大的化妆品公司之一——联合利华的一位科学家表示，测试是“不必要的”。她说，在今天的技术条件下，测试可以在不使用动物的情况下进行。