IFRA welcomes European Commission roadmap to phase out animal testing in chemical safety assessments

On 1 June 2026, the European Commission presented its roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments. The document sets out 22 actions across three pillars and covers 15 domains, from industrial and consumer chemicals to pesticides, biocides, pharmaceuticals, and food and feed additives. It is a concrete deliverable under the Chemicals Action Plan adopted by the Commission in July 2025, and a direct follow-up to the 2023 European citizens' initiative 'Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe Without Animal Testing'.

The roadmap strengthens, rather than replaces, the existing REACH framework. It includes indicators to monitor progress and is designed to preserve a high level of protection for human health and the environment throughout the transition.

Three pillars for the transition

The first pillar focuses on making change happen, with more than 30 targeted recommendations to replace, reduce, or refine animal testing for human health and environmental safety assessments.

The second pillar aims to keep Europe at the forefront of research and innovation, including by leveraging artificial intelligence and large data sets to develop and validate non-animal methods.

The third pillar centers on cooperation - across EU institutions, with Member States and stakeholders, and with regulators internationally - so that progress in Europe drives global alignment.

A direction the fragrance industry shares

IFRA and its members have long supported the transition towards non-animal approaches in chemical safety assessment. Through the IFRA Standards, the work of the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), and engagement with the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS), the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) and other partners, the sector has invested over many years in New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) - in vitro assays, computational models, read-across, and increasingly AI-supported tools - to deliver robust, human-relevant safety assessments.

In November 2025, the EPAA marked 20 years of progress towards a future without animal testing, and underlined its central role in the implementation of this very roadmap. More recently, in May 2026, a report from the 2024 EPAA Partners' Forum on the assessment of endocrine disruption using NAMs - to which IFRA contributed - was accepted for publication in the NAM Journal. Both are concrete illustrations of the continued investment by industry and regulators in modern safety science.

Next steps

The Commission will start implementing the roadmap immediately, in close cooperation with Member States, EU agencies, and stakeholders. By 2029, the Commission will convene a high-level conference to take stock of progress, with a focus on the increased use and uptake of non-animal approaches across EU legislation, including REACH.

IFRA will continue to support the development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of NAMs, including through its engagement in EPAA, and looks forward to constructive cooperation with the Commission, Member States, and partners across the value chain on the road ahead.

Further reading

• European Commission press release: Commission accelerates transition away from animal testing in chemical safety assessments
• Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments
• IFRA on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)
• IFRA news: EPAA marks 20 years of progress towards a future without animal testing
• IFRA news: IFRA contributes to EPAA report on endocrine disruption assessment using new approach methodologies