about-face is Cruelty-Free

about-face 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 about-face to be Cruelty-Free.

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 about-face has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

“we do not offer about-face for sale in countries that require animal testing (until recently, China), and we will not veer from that course until that country eliminates its offensive regulation.“

Cruelty-Free Policies

Note that there is no standard or 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.

about-face is 100% Vegan

about-face has confirmed all of its products are vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

“We also work to ensure all of our products are vegan :)”

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.

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 about-face if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“The specific types of mica used in about-face formulas are sourced from global manufacturers who are either members of the Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI) or have been certified that no child labor exploitation took place at any point during the production and sourcing process.”