Is Elizabeth Arden Cruelty-Free?
Does Elizabeth Arden test on animals or sell in China?
Elizabeth Arden is a high-end beauty brand that exudes luxury. But is Elizabeth Arden cruelty-free or do they test on animals?
For a company to be considered cruelty-free they have to meet all of the following criteria:
- Do not test any of their products or ingredients on animals
- Don’t allow others to test on their behalf
- Do not sell in a country where animal testing is required.
After doing a bit of research, I found that Elizabeth Arden doesn’t meet the above cruelty-free requirements and is not considered to be a cruelty-free beauty brand.
Let’s look into what all of that really means and what you can do about it.
Is Elizabeth Arden Certified Cruelty-Free?
When researching a brand’s cruelty-free status my first stop is the certified cruelty-free list. There are three organizations that give official certifications to brands around the world: Leaping Bunny, Peta, and Choose Cruelty-Free.
Elizabeth Arden is not found on any of these organizations’ cruelty-free lists. However, they are found on Peta’s list of brands to avoid.
Does Elizabeth Arden Test on Animals?
The next step in my research is going directly to the company’s animal testing policy to see where they stand. Elizabeth Arden’s policy can be found in the ‘FAQ’ section of their website. Here is what it states:
“Elizabeth Arden, Inc. shares your concern about the use of animals in safety testing and is committed to eliminating the need for animal testing. We are equally committed to the health and safety of consumers and to creating products that comply with the laws of all countries where our products are sold. We do not perform any animal tests on our product formulations or ingredients, nor ask others to test on our behalf, except in the rare instances where required by law. These laws apply to every company in the beauty industry that sells products globally, and Elizabeth Arden, like all other global beauty companies, must comply with any applicable local laws.
To avoid the use of tests on animals, our product development team selects raw materials with well-established safety records and uses extensive ingredient databases. Our product safety testing includes the use of non-animal studies and clinical tests on volunteers. We take great pride in our product safety record.
Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the necessity for animal testing globally. We work closely with our industry and the scientific community around the world to actively support our industry’s sharing of scientific data and to support and fund research programs to develop and validate non-animal alternatives for product testing.
We thank you for the opportunity to state our position and hope you will continue to enjoy Elizabeth Arden products with confidence.”
Elizabeth Arden’s animal testing policy contradicts itself. It states that they do not test on animals nor allow others to test on their behalf. However, they will make an exception to satisfy a country’s laws. Therefore, Elizabeth Arden does allow animal testing on their products.
Is Elizabeth Arden Sold in China?
Yes, Elizabeth Arden does sell in China. After doing a quick Google search I was able to locate Elizabeth Arden’s Chinese website. A brand doesn’t create a website for another country unless they are serving those customers. I’ve included an image of the website below.
What About China’s New Animal Testing Laws?
China has announced that as of May 1, 2021, general cosmetics such as shampoo, body wash, lipstick, lotion, and makeup can be sold without being tested on animals. However, a company is required to jump through various hoops for this to happen. As of now, Elizabeth Arden has not been exempt and their products can still be tested on animals by the Chinese health authority. Even if an exemption happens it is still possible that the products can be subjected to post-market testing.
Is Elizabeth Arden Owned By a Parent Company?
Yes, Elizabeth Arden is owned by Revlon, a company that tests on animals. You can view a full list of brands that they own to see which other companies you should avoid.
Is Elizabeth Arden Vegan?
Elizabeth Arden is not considered to be vegan because they test their products or ingredients on animals or allow others to do so on their behalf. So, until this changes, we choose not to look into whether they may or may not have products that don’t contain animal ingredients.
What are Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Elizabeth Arden?
There are several cruelty-free cosmetics alternatives to Elizabeth Arden. Check out the list below:
Wrap Up: Is Elizabeth Arden Cruelty-Free?
No, Elizabeth Arden is not a cruelty-free beauty brand. Even though they claim to not test on animals, they choose to sell in a country that requires imported cosmetics to be tested.
Therefore, Elizabeth Arden is not considered to be cruelty-free. They will be added to my list of brands that test on animals.
Now I’d like to hear from you…What are your thoughts about Elizabeth Arden? Please leave your comments below!