Dr. Brandt Skincare

Last Updated: March 1, 2024

How Ethical Is Dr. Brandt Skincare?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here’s a summary of Dr. Brandt’s ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Dr. Brandt cruelty-free or vegan? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Dr. Brandt’s policies.
Dr. Brandt is NOT Cruelty-Free. Dr. Brandt engages in animal testing by allowing its products to be animal-tested.
Yes, Dr. Brandt sells its products in stores in mainland China under conditions where animal testing is still legally required.
Dr. Brandt claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Dr. Brandt engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Dr. Brandt to be vegan.

Dr. Brandt Skincare

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Dr. Brandt is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Dr. Brandt allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Dr. Brandt’s Animal Testing Policy

Dr. Brandt Skincare claims to be a “cruelty-free-oriented organization” but this is very misleading because the brand isn’t cruelty-free.

On their website’s FAQ page, it states they don’t engage in animal testing, “however, there are some countries that still believe that animal testing is necessary to ensure the safety of cosmetic products, and require animal testing by law.”

See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Dr. Brandt’s website:

Policies stating, “some countries that require animal testing,” usually imply the company is selling its products in mainland China. That’s because cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by law to be tested on animals.

Is Dr. Brandt Sold in China?

In my research, I discovered that Dr. Brandt products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

Using Dr. Brandt Skincare’s online store locator feature, I was able to find a number of stores throughout China selling their products. This further confirms that Dr. Brandt is selling its products in mainland China.

Below is a screenshot of Dr. Brandt’s store locator showing results in mainland China:

Dr Brandt Skincare Sold in China - Cannot Be Cruelty-Free

But Doesn’t China No Longer Tests on Animals?

Companies can bypass China’s pre-market animal testing by choosing to manufacture their ordinary or general cosmetics in China, but it’s not stated anywhere that Dr. Brandt has taken this route.

Additionally, the possibility of post-market animal testing is not completely ruled out and may be conducted on some cosmetics sold in physical stores in China.

As of May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies can also export and sell their ordinary or general cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet a set of preconditions first. However, meeting these conditions has proven difficult, and it’s still unclear what exactly is accepted according to the new regulations. So there’s no word yet of any company that has successfully done so.

Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Dr. Brandt) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Dr. Brandt has decided to sell in mainland China stores, they must consent and pay to have their products tested on animals. That’s why most cosmetics brands selling in mainland China cannot be considered cruelty-free in 2022.

Although Dr. Brandt may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals to sell in China.

For those reasons, we would not consider Dr. Brandt to be cruelty-free by our standards.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China because of its animal testing laws. Unfortunately, Dr. Brandt refuses to do the same and therefore cannot be considered cruelty-free.

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, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Dr. Brandt already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Complete Cruelty-Free Checklist

Is Dr. Brandt Certified Cruelty-Free?

Dr. Brandt is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

Because Dr. Brandt is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Dr. Brandt’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Dr. Brandt Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Dr. Brandt must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Dr. Brandt to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, Dr. Brandt is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Dr. Brandt Vegan?

Dr. Brandt claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Dr. Brandt engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Dr. Brandt to be vegan.

In order for products to be considered vegan by ethical elephant’s standards, the products and their ingredients must not be tested on animals anywhere in the world. Also, they must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Dr. Brandt:

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free alternatives similar to Dr. Brandt:

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