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Is Almay Cruelty-Free?
☠️ Almay is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Almay allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.
Almay’s Animal Testing Policy
When asking, does Almay test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Almay’s ingredients or suppliers test on animals. And they don’t sell in any country or under conditions that may require animal testing by law.
To assess whether brands are cruelty-free, I always start with the company’s official animal testing policy on their website.
On Almay’s website, they claim its products are “cruelty-free”. The brand also declares it does not test its products on animals and it substantiates the safety of its products using “the humane and modern way.”
However, this is not enough information for us to classify Almay or any other brand as being cruelty-free to our standards.
Below is a screenshot taken from Almay’s website of their “cruelty-free” claims:
Almay’s claims that they’re “cruelty-free” because they do not test their products on animals is not sufficient for us to consider them truly cruelty-free because animal testing for cosmetics can happen at various stages of product development. Including at the ingredient level, and is often done by others and not the cosmetic company itself.
This is why we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand, its suppliers, or any third parties.
So I reached out to Almay to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test, not just their finished products but their ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like mainland China).
Here’s a snippet of the response I received when I emailed Almay:
“Revlon does not conduct animal testing and has not done so for decades. We comprehensively test all of our products using the most technologically advanced methods available to ensure they are both innovative and safe to use. We believe that all women should have the opportunity to express themselves through makeup and we sell our products in many markets around the world. Regulatory authorities in some countries conduct independent testing in order to satisfy their own mandatory registration requirements and a limited number of these countries have not yet adopted alternative testing methods. While Revlon complies with the requirements for safety in all of these countries, we continue to collaborate with other companies to advocate for the adoption of alternative testing methods and the elimination of animal testing around the world.“
Based on Almay’s response, Almay has the same animal testing policy as its parent company, Revlon. Both companies state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals if regulatory authorities demand it.
It’s misleading that Almay is now claiming to be cruelty-free when they can’t seem to clarify or differentiate itself from Revlon’s policy that clearly states they DO test on animals when required by law.
Additionally, in 2016, Almay’s animal testing policy used to state its products were sold in countries that may require animal tests. This implied Almay was selling its products in mainland China where animal testing is required by law for most imported cosmetics.
Below is a screenshot that I had taken from Almay’s website in 2016:
Is Almay Sold in China?
I couldn’t find any sources or proof of Almay currently selling in China in 2023. They may have decided to stop for the time being.
But it’s highly unlikely that the reason they stopped selling in China was because they didn’t agree with China’s animal testing regulations.
So, at this time, we wouldn’t consider Almay to be cruelty-free because of their unclear policy.
They may have changed the wording of their animal testing statement and in their marketing materials. But it doesn’t look like they’ve actually changed anything in their animal testing policy IRL.
Almay also remains on PETA’s List of Brands that Do Test on Animals in 2023.
Cruelty-Free Policies
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 Almay does not meet all of the criteria, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is Almay Certified Cruelty-Free?
Almay is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Since Almay is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Almay’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Almay Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. Almay is owned by Revlon, parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2023.
Some cruelty-free consumers may choose to purchase and support cruelty-free brands owned by animal-tested parent corporations as they hope it will convince the parent company to become cruelty-free.
But in this case, Almay is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, Revlon.
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Does Almay Test on Animals?
To wrap up, Almay allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law. Therefore, we would NOT consider Almay to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Almay is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Almay Vegan?
❌ Almay is NOT vegan. Almay claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but Almay engages in animal testing in some capacity, so we wouldn’t consider any Almay products vegan at this time.
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 Almay
Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:
2 thoughts on “Almay (Revlon)”
Did you read that? Almay has done ZERO animal testing in 20 years. You should celebrate them!
The fact that they still sell in countries that require testing by law for cosmetics, or at least imported cosmetics, means they DO test on animals, just not themselves. Cruelty free means NO animal testing, ANYWHERE in the world. So while Almay isn’t conducting animal testing on their products in MOST countries, there are still certain countries that DO require it. So yes, Almay products are still tested on animals when mandated by a country where they are selling their products.