Erno Laszlo is NOT Cruelty-Free!

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

Erno Laszlo’s Animal Testing Policy

On Erno Laszlo’s website, they claim they never test their ingredients or final formulations on animals, however, they “acknowledge that in some jurisdictions both the formulations and ingredients may have been by government affiliates.”

See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Erno Laszlo’s website:

Policies stating “some jurisdictions 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 Erno Laszlo Sold in China?

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

Below is a screenshot of Erno Laszlo’s store locator showing results in mainland China:

But Doesn’t China No Longer Test 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 Erno Laszlo 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 Erno Laszlo) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Erno Laszlo 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 Erno Laszlo 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 Erno Laszlo 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, Erno Laszlo 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, or by any third parties, including when required by law.

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

Is Erno Laszlo Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Erno Laszlo Cruelty-Free?

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

Currently, Erno Laszlo is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Erno Laszlo Vegan?

Erno Laszlo does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Erno Laszlo engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Erno Laszlo to be vegan anyways.

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 Erno Laszlo

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• Dr. Barbara Sturm
• Derm Institute
• RéVive
• Augustinus Bader
• Tata Harper *owned by Amorepacific