Is L’Oreal Cruelty-Free?

Does L’Oreal test on animals or sell in China?

L’Oreal is a well-known beauty company that can be found all over the world. But is L’Oreal cruelty-free?

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 L’Oreal doesn’t meet the above cruelty-free requirements and is not considered to be a cruelty-free parent company. 

Let’s look into what all of that really means and what you can do about it.

Is L’Oreal 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.

L’Oreal is not found on any of these organizations’ cruelty-free lists. However, they are found on Peta’s list of brands to avoid. 

Does L’Oreal Test on Animals?

The next step in my research is going directly to the company’s animal testing policy to see where they stand. L’Oreal’s policy can be found in the ‘Our Approach’ section of their website. Here is an excerpt of what it states:

“In 1989, L’Oréal completely ceased testing its products on animals, 14 years before it was required by regulation. Today, L’Oréal no longer tests its ingredients on animals. L’Oréal no longer tolerates any exception to this rule. 

Certain health authorities may nevertheless decide to conduct animal tests themselves for certain cosmetic products, as it is still the case in China. L’Oréal is the most active company working alongside the Chinese authorities and scientists for over 10 years to have alternative testing methods recognized, and permit the cosmetic regulation to evolve towards a total and definite elimination of animal testing. Thanks to this, since 2014, certain products manufactured and sold in China like shampoo, body wash or certain make-up products are no longer tested on animals.”

L’Oreal’s animal testing policy contradicts itself. It states that they do not test on animals and don’t tolerate exceptions. However, they choose to sell in China where animal testing is required for imported cosmetics. Therefore, L’Oreal does allow animal testing on their products.

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, L’Oreal 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. 

What Brands Does L’Oreal Own?

L’Oreal is a multinational beauty company that owns several popular cosmetics brands. Below is a list of all the brands owned by them. 

Many people in the cruelty-free community choose to completely boycott any brand owned by a non-cruelty-free parent company. So, I try to provide as much information as possible so that you have the resources to make your own decision. 

So, I’ve indicated which brands are sold in China or are certified cruelty-free. I would err on the side of caution for any of the companies that don’t have additional information.

• African Beauty Brands
• Atelier Cologne – SOLD IN CHINA
• Biolage
• Biotherm – SOLD IN CHINA
• Cacharel
• Carita
• CeraVe
• Clarisonic – SOLD IN CHINA
• Decleor
• Diesel – SOLD IN CHINA
• Essie – SOLD IN CHINA
• Garnier
• Giorgio Armani – SOLD IN CHINA
• Guy Laroche
• Helena Rubinstein – SOLD IN CHINA
• House 99 by David Beckham
• IT Cosmetics – PETA CERTIFIED
• Kerastase – SOLD IN CHINA
• Kiehl’s – SOLD IN CHINA
• Lancôme – SOLD IN CHINA
• La Roche-Posay – SOLD IN CHINA
• L’Oreal Paris – SOLD IN CHINA
• Magic – SOLD IN CHINA
• Maison Margiela – SOLD IN CHINA
• Matrix
• Maybelline New York – SOLD IN CHINA
• Mizani
• Niely
• NYX Professional MakeUp – PETA CERTIFIED
• Paloma Picasso
• Proenza Schouler
• Pureology – PETA CERTIFIED
• Ralph Lauren Fragrances – SOLD IN CHINA
• Redken
• Roger & Gallet – SOLD IN CHINA
• Sanoflore
• Seed Phytonutrients
• Shu Uemura – SOLD IN CHINA
• SkinCeuticals – SOLD IN CHINA
• Urban Decay – PETA CERTIFIED
• Vichy – SOLD IN CHINA
• Viktor & Rolf
• Yue Sai – SOLD IN CHINA
• YSL Beauty – SOLD IN CHINA

Wrap Up: Is L’Oreal Cruelty-Free?

No, L’Oreal is not a cruelty-free cosmetics company. Even though they claim to not test on animals, they choose to sell in a country that requires imported cosmetics to be tested on animals.

Therefore, L’Oreal is not considered to be cruelty-free. They will be added to my list of brands that test on animals. 

However, they do own some Peta certified cruelty-free beauty brands. But the choice is yours on whether you feel comfortable using them.

Now I’d like to hear from you…What are your thoughts about L’Oreal? Will you boycott them completely or use some of their cruelty-free brands? Please leave your comments below!

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