Does Estee Lauder Test On Animals? Estee Lauder is one of the largest cosmetics producers on the planet. It’s also a parent company with many subsidiaries and smaller companies operating under its label.
However, when it comes to guilt-free products, no company is too big, especially when testing harsh chemicals on innocent animal souls. So, does Estee Lauder test on animals?
Although Estee Lauder is spending a lot of effort to become an entirely cruelty-free company, many of its subsidiaries still test on animals and sell their products in China. The company also isn’t vegan, as it uses animal ingredients while making some of its products.
If you want to find out more about Estee Lauder’s animal testing situation and why it’s not considered cruelty-free, this guide will have you covered with everything you need to know.
Does Estee Lauder Test On Animals?
When judging Estee Lauder’s ethical standards regarding animal testing, various approaches exist to examine the matter.
To help you understand the complex situation of the company, here’s everything we know about Estee Lauder’s cruelty-free status:
1. The Company’s Statement
Estee Lauder stated on its website that the company was one of the first establishments in the cosmetics industry to eliminate animal testing as a practice to determine the safety of its products.
According to the company’s statement, it doesn’t test its products on animals anymore, nor does it commission or ask third-party companies to test their products on its behalf.
This means that Estee Lauder itself should technically be cruelty-free as it doesn’t test its products on animals.
However, as previously established, Estee Lauder Companies Inc. is a huge parent company with various small and large cosmetics manufacturers, such as Clinique, La Mer, Jo Malone London, M.A.C, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford Beauty, and many more.
Unfortunately, some of these companies still operate in China. This means these companies abide by China’s animal testing rules that require animal testing for all cosmetics and ingredients sold in their market.
Estee Lauder acknowledged that some of its owned brands still test their products on animals.
But according to the company’s statement, Estee Lauder is working towards solving this issue and ending animal testing, but more about this in the following sections.
2. What Authority Figures Say
Despite the company’s statement, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claim that Estee Lauder tests its products on animals.
As for the Leaping Bunny Program, a company shouldn’t sell any of its products in China to earn its certification.
However, according to Eurogroup for Animals, Estee Lauder is on its path towards earning its Leaping Bunny Certification one brand at a time.
3. Some Subsidiaries Are Cruelty-Free
You should also know that not all of Estee Lauder’s subsidiaries test on animals.
Some of the company’s brands are known for being cruelty-free already, such as:
- Too Faced
- Becca
- Aveda
- Smashbox
4. Estee Lauder’s Cosmetic Testing Partners and Cruelty-Free International
As a huge player in the cosmetics industry, Estee Lauder has a lot of influence on the market and has been putting in a lot of effort to become cruelty-free and push the market towards ditching testing on animals.
For instance, Estee Lauder’s current testing partners all use cruelty-free approaches while establishing the safety of their products, such as the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, the European Partnership for Alternatives to Animal Testing, Cosmetics Europe, and more.
Additionally, the company partnered with organizations that advocate against animal testing to push the Chinese government to adjust its animal testing laws, such as Cruelty Free International.
Is Estee Lauder 100% Cruelty-Free?
The short answer to this question is no. Estee Lauder is not 100% cruelty-free because some subsidiaries still test on animals and sell their products in China.
1. Why Isn’t Estee Lauder Cruelty-Free?
To become 100% cruelty-free, a company must ensure that all its brands and subsidiaries aren’t testing their products on animals or using animal ingredients.
Additionally, selling products in the Chinese market requires animal testing, which rules out many of Estee Lauder’s brands that still operate there.
2. Does Estee Lauder Sell In China?
Estee Lauder entered the Chinese market in 1993 and has been selling its products in their market ever since.
However, it would be best to remember that Estee Lauder is a large company with thousands of brands.
Currently, around 12 of Estee Lauder’s brands are still operating in China, which is one of the main reasons why Estee Lauder is not labeled as a cruelty-free company despite not directly testing on animals.
FAQs
1. Is Estee Lauder vegan?
Despite the company’s statement about animal testing, the company didn’t label itself as vegan-friendly or market its products as a vegan-friendly option before.
The company also uses various ingredients that are either sourced from animals or their byproducts and considering the company’s gray stance on animal testing, it’s clear that the company is yet to become 100% vegan.
2. Is Estee Lauder Popular In China?
As a company operating in China for over three decades, it’s safe to say that Estee Lauder is quite famous in the country.
According to Yahoo Finance, the company’s sales in Mainland China accounts for over 13% of its sales and 24% of its accounts receivable in 2022.
3. What Companies Still Use Animal Testing in 2023?
These are some big-name brands that you should avoid.
- Aveeno
- Neutrogena
- Kiehl’s
- Olay
- Vaseline
- Nivea
- Clinique
- Lancôme
- Estée Lauder
- L’Occitane
4. What Makeup Brands Still Test on Animals in 2023?
Here are some makeup brands that aren’t certified as cruelty-free:
- Maybelline
- Elizabeth Arden
- Nars
- Origins
- Benefit
- Bobbi Brown
- Make Up For Ever Professional Paris
- La Mer
- OPI
- Clarins
Final Thoughts
This wraps it up for today’s guide that answers the famous question “Does Estee Lauder test on animals?”.
As you can see, the answer to this question is quite complicated. Technically speaking, Estee Lauder doesn’t test its products on animals.
Yet, the company is yet to be cruelty-free because they still use animal-based ingredients and some of their owned brands still test on animals.
However, according to the company’s statement and efforts, they’re working towards ending animal testing within its subsidiaries through partnerships and pushing the Chinese government to adjust its animal testing policies.
*Disclosure: We only recommend products we would use ourselves and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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