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Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Monday, 20 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 23 April 2026 (named day). It was answered by Sarah Jones (Labour) on Monday, 27 April 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals have died during UK preclinical testing for Botox (Botulinum toxin) used in aesthetic applications each year since 2005.

Answer

The Home Office does not collect data on the fate of animals at the end of procedures. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, licensed establishments are responsible for keeping records which include the fate of the animals. Home Office Inspectors in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit may ask to look at these records at any time. The number of animals used in scientific procedures can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics. This data is broken down by year and by species and type of procedure.

To protect human safety there are legal requirements to test the safety and potency of medicinal products and drug substances containing botulinum toxin. The testing of this medicinal product is required by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).

In November 2025, the Government published Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which includes an aim to apply only validated alternative methods in the pharmacopoeial potency testing of botulinum toxin by the end of 2027.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
128365
Session
2024-26
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Animal experiments Cosmetics Botulinum toxin
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk