This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
You can find Trilogy cruelty-free products on Amazon and iHerb.
Trilogy is Cruelty-Free
Trilogy has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf. Their suppliers also do not test on animals, nor do they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law. And finally, their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing.
By our standards, we would consider Trilogy to be Cruelty-Free.
Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Trilogy’s website about its animal testing policy:
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Trilogy has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
“Trilogy products are not sold in retail stores in China because of the regulatory environment which requires imported cosmetics to be safety-tested on animals. This doesn’t fit with our brand values. We don’t believe in animal testing and our NATRUE Natural Cosmetics Certification doesn’t allow it. However, our products can be purchased from a number of online stores and shipped into China, as online purchases do not require animal testing. Unless China’s regulations change we will not be sold in their retail stores.“
As of May 1, 2021, some imported ordinary cosmetics can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, for the most part, animal testing is still legally required for most imported cosmetics in 2022.
Cruelty-Free Policies
Note that there is no legal definition for the label ‘Cruelty-Free.’ It can mean different things to different people. But Cruelty-Free is generally used to imply no animal testing. More specifically, the ingredients, formulation, or finished product are not tested on animals at any stage of product development.
At ethical elephant, we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand itself, its suppliers, or any third parties.
Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.
Trilogy is Not 100% Vegan
‘Vegan’ in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand that is 100% Vegan or a specific product is vegan.
In the case of Trilogy, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Trilogy’s website about its vegan claims:
How to know which of Trilogy products are vegan?
All of Trilogy’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.
Vegan Policies
Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But it usually means no animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.
Some common animal products used in cosmetics include carmine, lanolin, snail mucus, beeswax, honey, pearl or silk-derived ingredients, animal-based glycerin, keratin, and squalene.
There are plant-based and synthetic alternatives to animal-derived ingredients. But it’s sometimes difficult to know with certainty whether a product is vegan just by reading the ingredient list.
So it’s best to ask the company and manufacturers to ensure the ingredients they’ve chosen to use were from non-animal sources.
Where are Trilogy’s products made?
I asked Trilogy where their products are manufactured and they told me:
“Our company is based in New Zealand which is also where we manufacture our products. We have ingredient suppliers from all around the world, who help us find the best quality ingredients to use.”
Ethical Mica Mining Policy
Mica is a mineral that’s used in cosmetics to add a shimmery effect. But the mining of natural mica has been linked to child labor and human rights violations.
Unless the company discloses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.
So I asked Trilogy if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“While Trilogy’s business is fundamentally based on the performance of our products, our culture is based on our philosophy of sustainable, ethical business practices. We have always had strict criteria for selecting ingredients to be included in our products. We source from responsible suppliers, fair-trade and certified organic where possible, who have transparent supply-chain processes. We do not test our ingredients, product prototypes or finished products on animals and we work closely with our ingredient suppliers to ensure they are aware of our company values and policies.
The ingredients we choose in our formulations are carefully selected for their proven benefits to the skin and they are independently tested for safety to EU standards. We label the ingredients in our products using a globally recognised system, the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) which you will find on the packaging of our products. All our products are reviewed by an independent safety assessor who analyses each of the raw ingredients and their concentrations within our formulations to make sure they are safe and comply with EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. We trust the assessors expertise as he is a qualified professional who knows the exact ingredients and inclusion levels within our formulations and he would advise if there are any ingredients we should be concerned about.
We wouldn’t be able to hold this certification if it wasn’t ethically sourced.“
Trilogy claims they have strict criteria for selecting ingredients but did not specifically address where their mica is sourced from and how they audit or trace to ensure no child labor was involved in mining their mica.
I hope this article helped you to understand Trilogy’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
