Last month, as Black Panther was breaking box office records and teenage activists were shaming the NRA, calls for animal testing bans were also making headlines around the world.

First, the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act entered the state legislature. If passed as is, the bill will ban the sale of animal-tested hygiene or beauty products such as makeup, shampoos, and deodorants throughout California by 2020. It would also encourage manufacturers across the country to stop selling animal–tested products. The bill will bring California law in line with regulations in nearly 40 countries―including the European Union, India, Israel, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Turkey―that already prohibit the sale of new animal-tested cosmetics. (The California bill follows anti-animal-testing legislation proposed in Hawaii in January.)

Also last month, Members of the European Parliament from the EU’s Environment Committee called for a worldwide ban on the use of animals for cosmetics testing. The EU’s ban on animal-tested cosmetics went into effect in 2013, and the MEPs pointed out that this has not prevented the EU cosmetics industry from thriving and providing some 2 million jobs.

Although the U.S. government currently mandates that the toxicity of drugs be tested on animals and shown to be safe, analyzing the toxicity of household products like cosmetics and detergents on animals is not legally required. Yet the FDA and other agencies encourage manufacturers to conduct whatever toxicological tests they believe are appropriate to substantiate the safety of their products. Thus, every year companies subject millions of conscious animals to an extensive range of gruesome “safety tests” in which corrosive chemicals are dripped into their eyes, toxic compounds already known to be fatal to humans are pumped into their stomachs, caustic irritants are rubbed into their skin, or some other unspeakable torture results in a painful death.

Sadly, the abuse of animals in the name of product safety goes well beyond the substances being tested. The same kind of frustration we see among animal agriculture and slaughterhouse workers—who often react to the extreme stress of their jobs by lashing out at animals—is evident among lab technicians, who may be entirely desensitized to the pain and distress of animal victims. These test lab workers have been known to beat animals, who are routinely left to languish in filthy cages between experiments and denied even the slightest kindness.

Fortunately, a growing number of companies have abandoned animal testing in favor of humane alternatives, and many organizations are campaigning against the use of animals as test subjects.

What You Can Do:

1. Don’t buy products tested on animals. Look for the Leaping Bunny logo and download the app on your smartphone.

2. Then … Support companies such as The Body Shop, Dr. Bronner’s, and Kiss My Face that sell products not tested on animals. (Here’s a list of vegan makeup brands and here’s one of drug store brands.)

3. Urge your legislators to support the Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 2790), which would end the manufacture and sale of animal-tested cosmetics in the U.S. Click here to begin.

4. Contact companies you like and ask if they test on animals or use animal ingredients. If they do, tell them you oppose any animal testing and the use of animal ingredients.

5. Sign and share the global Forever Against Animal Testing petition, which will be presented to the United Nations when 8 million signatures have been collected.

6. Raise awareness. Wear t-shirts, stickers, and buttons that tell people you don’t support animal testing. You’ll find them at sites such as Café Press, Etsy, and Zazzle, as well as from vegan companies like Herbivore and Meaningful Paws.

7. Share this post with your family and friends and ask them to take action, too!