Is Urban Decay Cruelty-Free? (in 2024)

Does Urban Decay test on animals or sell in China?

Urban Decay is a popular makeup brand known for its vibrant eyeshadow palettes. But is Urban Decay 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 Urban Decay does meet the above cruelty-free requirements and is considered to be a cruelty-free makeup brand.

Let’s look into what all of that really means

Is Urban Decay 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.

Urban Decay is certified cruelty-free by Peta.

It’s wonderful that they are Peta certified. But, Peta does not do a thorough vetting process like Leaping Bunny. So I don’t fully trust their certifications and will continue with the next step of my research of Urban Decay.

Does Urban Decay Test on Animals?

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

“Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to ending animal testing. We do not test our products on animals, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf. Additionally, we require our suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are not tested on animals. Our Brand is certified by PETA as cruelty-free.”

This policy was a little vague for me. So, I reached out to the company for clarification. I asked them the following questions:

Do you test on animals at any point during the production of your products?
Are your ingredients tested on animals by your suppliers?
Does any third-party test on animals on your behalf?
Do you test on animals when required by law?

Urban Decay emailed me back with the following response:

“Dear Nikki,
Thank you so much for responding back!
Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to ending animal testing. We do not test our products on animals, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf. Additionally, we require our suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are not tested on animals. Our Brand is certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program (CCIC) as cruelty-free.
So, to answer all your questions simultaneously, no!”

Even though Urban Decay indicated they are Leaping Bunny certified I could find no evidence to verify this information. After answering all of my questions I’m happy to confirm that Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand.

Is Urban Decay Sold in China?

No, Urban Decay is not sold in China.

Is Urban Decay Owned By a Parent Company?

Yes, Urban Decay is owned by L’Oreal, 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 Urban Decay Vegan?

Urban decay is not a 100% vegan makeup brand but they do carry some vegan products. Here is a list of a few of them.

Wrap Up: Is Urban Decay Cruelty-Free?

Yes, Urban Decay is a cruelty-free makeup brand. They have verified that they do not test their products or ingredients on animals, they don’t allow others to test on their behalf, and they don’t test when required by law.

Therefore, Urban Decay is considered to be cruelty-free and will be added to my list of cruelty-free brands.

Now I’d like to hear from you. What are your thoughts about Urban Decay? Please leave your comments below.