Background

As a global consumer health company, Kenvue has a broad portfolio of everyday care brands that our consumers rely on to meet their daily health and well-being needs. Above all, safety is our top priority in the development and testing of our diverse and innovative products. We understand that animal testing is a concern of vital importance to many, and we work to minimize the use of animals while also complying with specific and varied regulations around the world.

Cosmetic Products

We do not conduct animal testing in the research or development of our cosmetic products. We believe our cosmetic products can be validated as safe and effective without compromising animal welfare and have made the conscious choice to only advance the development of cosmetic products that meet our own safety requirements without the need for animal testing.

Some countries still require animal testing data to meet their own regulatory requirements. As part of our ongoing commitment over the last 30 years, we continue to advance and seek the validation of non-animal testing methods and support efforts to eliminate the testing of cosmetic products or ingredients on animals globally, including appropriate legislative bans.

Other Health Regulated Products

Cosmetic regulations rarely require animal testing due to robust existing information about ingredients, the broader availability of validated alternative methods, and typical skin applications of cosmetic products by consumers. When it comes to medicines, medical devices and other regulated health products, animal testing is more routinely required by regulatory authorities to demonstrate safety and/or to validate efficacy for regulatory purposes.

Our Principles

We promote the use of non-animal alternatives whenever feasible and use animal testing only as a last resort.

When animal testing is required, we explicitly adhere to the “3R” Principles of:

• (REDUCE) We strive to minimize the number of animals used in testing by utilizing alternative testing methods whenever possible.
  
• (REFINE) We aim to improve the welfare of animals used in testing by implementing protocols that minimize pain and distress.
  
• (REPLACE) We recognize the importance of exploring alternative testing methods that do not require the use of animals

To the greatest extent possible, we prioritize the use of non-animal testing methods, including in vitro and computer modelling. In vitro methods address eye irritation, oral mucosal irritation, and skin irritation and sensitization without the use of animals. Computer modelling can predict potential hazards before consideration of animal testing.
Our internal Scientific Governance Committee reviews and approves all instances of required animal testing for non-cosmetic purposes. This step is in place to ensure we consistently adhere to the highest standards of care in alignment with our scientific protocols. All reviews are carried out by experienced Kenvue subject matter experts to assure scientific merit, alignment to our ethics, and animal welfare.

When tests on animals are required, we only work with reputable partners who adhere to strict animal welfare standards on care, welfare, and treatment. We are committed to ensuring the ethical treatment of animals used in audited, accredited external laboratories following best practices for animal care.

Last Updated: April 2023