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UPDATE: Sadly, BECCA will be closing down its business in September 2021 due to the pandemic. I will keep this post up until then.
You can find BECCA’s cruelty-free products at beccacosmetics.com, Sephora, Cult Beauty, Ulta, and Nordstrom.
BECCA is *Cruelty-Free
BECCA 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 BECCA to be *Cruelty-Free.
*BECCA is owned by Estee Lauder, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.
It’s your choice whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. I encourage you to do what you’re comfortable with, but I think it’s important to disclose that Estee Lauder owns BECCA.
Below is a screenshot of BECCA’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 2021.
But BECCA has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
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.
BECCA 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 BECCA, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of BECCA products are vegan?
BECCA clearly marks all of its vegan products on its website.
You can also find out which of their products are vegan as they’re marked on their website under each product description. See below for an example.
BECCA Vegan Product List
As of 2021, I will no longer be regularly updating this list of BECCA vegan products as all of their vegan products are now clearly marked. Check their website for the most up-to-date and accurate information on which products are vegan or not.
The following BECCA products are suitable for vegans and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
- Anti-Fatigue Under Eye Primer
- BECCA Light Shifter™ Dewing Tint
- BECCA Light Shifter™ Finishing Veil
- BECCA x Barbie Ferreira Prismatica Face & Eye Palette
- BECCA x Barbie Ferreira Prismatica Lip Gloss Kit
- BECCA Zero™ No Pigment Virtual Foundation
- Backlight Priming Filter Face Primer
- Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector
- First Light Priming Filter Face Primer
- Hydra-Light Plumping Lip Balm
- Hydra-Light Plumping Lip Mask
- Hydra-Light Smoothing Lip Scrub
- Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder
- Ignite Liquified Light Face & Body Highlighter
- Ignite Liquified Light Highlighter
- Light Gleam™ Primer & Topper Liquid Eyeshadow
- Ultimate Coverage 24 Hour Foundation
- Under Eye Brightening Corrector
- Zero™ No Pigment Glass Highlighter For Face + Lip
- Zero™ No Pigment Virtual Foundation
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.
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.
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 a company publicly addresses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.
So I asked BECCA if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“Becca formulates with mica that is globally sourced. While our ingredient supply chains are complex and multilayered, The Estee Lauder Companies has proactively partnered with local NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (now the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation or KSCF) to help address child labor in the mica mining industry by promoting education as an alternative to work for children in mica-sourcing communities.
For more information, please reference our CR Report. You can also read more, here!“
