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Is Aquaphor Cruelty-Free?
☠️ Aquaphor is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Aquaphor allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.
Aquaphor’s Animal Testing Policy
When asking, does Aquaphor test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Aquaphor’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 its website.
However, I couldn’t find Aquaphor’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.
So I reached out to Aquaphor to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing.
And Aquaphor responded by saying:
“Thank you for your email regarding Aquaphor.
We do not conduct animal testing on our products, and do not have any animal testing done on our behalf – unless, in the very rare case, this is specifically required by law.
For more than 35 years, Beiersdorf, has been at the forefront of seeking alternatives to animal testing. Animal testing has been completely banned for all cosmetic products in the European Union since 2004, and for all the ingredients of these products, since 2013. We are actively advocating for the worldwide acceptance of existing alternative animal-free test methods by respective authorities.
Beiersdorf has been a leading expert in skin care for more than 130 years. The quality of our products as well as the safety and health of our consumers have always been and will remain our highest priority.”
Based on their statement, we now know that Beiersdorf owns Aquaphor. And Aquaphor has the same animal testing policy as Beiersdorf, where both Aquaphor and Beiersdorf state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals if specifically required by law.
Truly cruelty-free brands will never allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals. Cruelty-free companies have a policy where if the law requires them to test on animals then they will refuse to sell their products under those conditions.
For example, imported cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by Chinese laws to be tested on animals upon registration. Therefore, truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China in order to remain committed to their no animal testing policy.
Unfortunately, Aquaphor and Beiersdorf state they will allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals if the law requires it. For those reasons, Aquaphor is NOT cruelty-free.
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 Aquaphor allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is Aquaphor Certified Cruelty-Free?
Aquaphor is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Since Aquaphor is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Aquaphor’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Aquaphor Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. Aquaphor is owned by Beiesdorf, 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, Aquaphor is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, Beiesdorf.
Does Aquaphor Test on Animals?
To wrap up, Aquaphor allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, like when selling in China. Therefore, we would NOT consider Aquaphor to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Aquaphor is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Aquaphor Vegan?
❌ Aquaphor is NOT vegan. Aquaphor does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Aquaphor engages in animal testing in some capacity, we wouldn’t consider any Aquaphor products vegan anyways.
When I was inquiring about Aquaphor’s animal testing policy, the company also stated that they use lanolin and beeswax in their products. See below for their statement response:
“Most of the ingredients used in Aquaphor products are synthetic or plant derived. The following ingredients are animal derived:
Lanolin alcohol from sheep’s wool
Beeswax”
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 Aquaphor
Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:
- Hello Bello
- Skinfix
- Paula’s Choice
- The Ordinary *owned by Estee Lauder
- Live Clean
