THE ISSUE  

Each year, more than 100,000 mice are estimated to still be used for botox quality testing – a practice that causes severe suffering and persists despite the availability of scientifically proven non-animal methods for this use. Animal testing for botox continues across Europe, even though suitable non-animal methods have been available for over a decade.   

The demand for botox products is largely driven by aesthetic uses, and yet animals are still dying in tests.

Let’s stop botox animal testing once and for all - sign the petition today!

Botulinum neurotoxin, commonly known as ‘botox’, is a naturally occurring paralytic substance and one of the most lethal existing toxins. Throughout routine production, companies repeatedly conduct tests by injecting around 100 mice with varying doses of the substance and observing them for several days. The animals gradually develop paralysis and breathing difficulties, and at higher doses, they die from respiratory failure. Under EU law (Directive 2010/63), this test is officially classified under the highest category of animal suffering: “severe”. 

Recent research from Utrecht University shows that animal testing for botox is still widespread and unjustified¹. Ireland, UK and until recently in Germany are identified as main sites for (continued) testing in Europe.

Since 2011, several companies have developed non-animal methods, mostly using (human) cell-based assays, capable of reliably determining the quality and safety of their botox products. These modern approaches not only avoid severe animal suffering but also provide results that are scientifically more relevant to human biology. 

Despite the availability of suitable non-animal methods, which manufacturers could validate and use for quality testing their products, companies continue to apply for animal testing licenses. Moreover, under the European Pharmacopoeia – which sets quality standards for medicines in Europe – testing botox products in mice is still the standard.  

As a result, the availability of modern non-animal methods has not automatically ended the use of animal testing. This highlights a serious failure in regulatory acceptance, implementation and enforcement.  

Botox can be used to alleviate certain medical conditions including muscle spasms in the neck or eyelids or chronic migraine, but its production is largely driven by aesthetic demand². Animal testing for cosmetic products and the marketing of such products tested on animals has been banned in Europe since 2013. However, because botox is injectable, it has been classified as a pharmaceutical, exempting it from the cosmetics animal testing ban. It is appalling that animal tests for botox products for aesthetic purposes are still being licensed. They should be prohibited under EU law because they should not pass the harm-benefit assessment. Their authorisation highlights a fundamental flaw in regulation whereby animal suffering is, in reality, given little consideration. 

A further concern is the lack of transparency. Researchers attempting to assess the scale of botox animal testing report major difficulties in obtaining reliable information. Information on who approved the project licenses, the number of animals used, and why these tests are conducted is often incomplete or confidential. Citizens are often misled that the use of the tested botox is exclusively medical. This lack of openness undermines public trust and obstructs meaningful accountability.  

The continued suffering of mice used for products largely fueled by aesthetic demand is ethically indefensible, and scientifically outdated. Consequently, the United Kingdom announced a strategy to phase-out quality control testing of botox on animals by 2027. This must be possible in the European Union too!  

What’s missing is not innovation, but regulatory coordination and commitment to ending botox animal testing.  

We call upon Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and urge coordinated action by the European Commission, and the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) to take immediate and decisive steps to end botox animal testing.  

WE DEMAND

1. Stop botox animal testing  

Removal of the botox test on mice from the European Pharmacopeia.  

2. Transparency 

Mandatory transparency and reporting of animal testing for botox until these tests are abolished.

SIGN THE PETITION

Stop botox animal testing!

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References 

1. Watkins J. et al.: Botulinum neurotoxin: Tracking the transition from lethal dose to in vitro models. NAM Journal 2025; 100040 
2. Business Market Insights, Europe Botulinum Toxin Market 2024-2031