The sale and import of cosmetics and cleaning materials tested on animals will be illegal as of midnight Monday night, under a law passed in 2010. The Health Ministry said it would crack down on importers who violate the law, but did not offer specifics.

"This law is a genuine revolution in the field of animal rights in Israel," said MK Eitan Cabel (Labor ), who heads the Knesset caucus for animal rights. "We came a long way in the last Knesset regarding attitude changes in this matter."

In practice, animal-tested products that are already on store shelves will not be removed by year's end, but importers will be required to get permits from the Health Ministry for every cosmetic or cleaning product they import.

"It's impossible to remove from the shelves products that have already been sold [to retailers], but we hope that within a short time it will be possible to completely prevent animal-tested cosmetics from entering Israel," said a source in Cabel's bureau.

Israel already bans animal testing for cosmetics and cleaning products from taking place within the country, under a 2007 law, and will now be joining European Union countries in banning the sale and import of cosmetics tested on animals. The European Parliament enacted its ban in March 2004.

Israel's import ban specifically targets products that are not intended for health purposes and also includes exceptions for products for which animal testing began prior to 2010.

It also gives importers a year to continue selling animal-tested products, if the importer states the manufacturer was unable to find any other solution and the Health Ministry validates the claim. The law stipulates that this transition period can be extended until early 2016.

In explaining the reason for the ban, the law states that "the animal testing conducted in the course of cosmetics development entails causing animals great suffering and is done without painkillers."

Between 2,000 and 3,000 animals are used in the process of developing every cosmetic or cleaning product that involves animal testing, according to the explanatory section of the law.

Open gallery view Demonstrators dressed in rabbit costumes petition the European Commission against animal testing on June 20. Credit: AP