You can find Barry M’s cruelty-free products on Amazon, ASOS, Superdrug, and Boots.

Barry M is Cruelty-Free

Barry M 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 Barry M to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is a screenshot of Barry M’s official animal testing statement:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

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.

But Barry M has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

“We are not sold in mainland China.”

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, and by any third parties.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

Barry M is 100% Vegan

2021 Update: Barry M is now officially 100% Vegan! Last year, Barry M claimed 97% of their products are vegan and they were working on reformulating remaining products to make them vegan. I’m happy to share that they have done just that! Barry M is now 100% vegan.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Barry M’s official website about its 100% vegan announcement:

Vegan Policies

Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But it’s usually used in the context to describe something that doesn’t contain any 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 Barry M’s products made?

They told me, “Our products are made in our warehouse in the UK.” However, I’ve seen “Made in China” on a few of their products on their website.

*Note: Cosmetics made in China are not required to be tested on animals. Only cosmetics that are imported and sold in physical stores in mainland China are required to be tested on animals according to China’s animal testing laws.

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 Barry M if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“Our Mica and pearls containing Mica (in DD, FGD) comes from sustainable mica mining and there is no child labour involved. We have attached information below regarding this.“

Barry M sent me a couple of documents from their mica suppliers outlining how they are ensuring their mica is mined without child labor.

I hope this article helped you to understand Barry M’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!