RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia is ending cosmetics testing on animals starting Jan. 1, 2022. In addition, 8News has learned Virginians can expect more legislation aimed at cracking down on animal cruelty in the new year.

The two new laws taking effect Jan. 1 ban new cosmetics from being tested on animals and the sale of animal tested cosmetics in the state.

“Virginia is a leader,” said Senator Jennifer Boysko and Delegate Kaye Kory who both championed the new laws.

Senator Boysko and Delegate Kory said consumers don’t have to fear their favorite beauty products will be swept off the shelves.

Boysko said, “Companies have modern tests at their disposal.”

Monica Engebretson with Cruelty Free International applauds the new law. She said the testing was outdated and painful.

She told us, “This involved shaving fur off of guinea pigs and rabbits and rubbing substances into their skin to see how it would react.”

Engebretson said cosmetics testing on animals is also unreliable.

“The animal tests were never really good at predicting human response it’s just all they had at the time,” Engebretson said.

8News also learned Virginia Congressman Don Beyer is working on a similar bill at the federal level to put an end to cosmetics testing on animals nationwide.

“Each time a state passes this legislation, it creates momentum for a federal bill,” Engebretson said.

There are still concerns about medical testing on animals in Virginia. The USDA recently cited the Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland with multiple animal welfare violations after an inspection revealed poor conditions and the unexplained deaths of 300 puppies.

“There are more and more outraged constituents of mine,” Kory said.

Both Kory and Boysko promise to make sure legislation addresses these concerns.

“We gave them a chance they told us they were going to be in good faith cleaning up their act and the federal level went in and found numerous heinous and egregious injuries to these dogs,” Boysko said.

Sen. Boysko is looking at legislation that would require Envigo to make the deaths of animals public. Del. Kory tells us she is also working on legislation that would prevent companies like Envigo from side-stepping Virginia animal welfare laws.