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You can find Augustinus Bader cruelty-free products at Nordstrom and Sephora.
Augustinus Bader is Cruelty-Free
Augustinus Bader 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 Augustinus Bader to be Cruelty-Free.
Below is a snippet of the email response I received from Augustinus Bader when verifying their animal testing policy:
“Our products have never and will never be tested on animals. I confirm that our skincare range is cruelty free, we do not engage in animal testing at any stage.“
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 Augustinus Bader has confirmed they only ship to China and they don’t sell in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
“Whilst we do ship to China, we do not have a retailer selling our products in the country therefore we do not have to comply with any animal testing procedures within the region.“
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.
Augustinus Bader is Not 100% Vegan
‘Vegan’ in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand that is 100% Vegan or a specific product is vegan.
In the case of Augustinus Bader, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of Augustinus Bader products are vegan?
All of Augustinus Bader’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.
In 2020, the company told me:
“While our products are not 100% vegan, and never have been certified vegan, our goal is to use non-animal derived ingredients whenever possible.
However, we are trying to ensure that all our formulas will be made vegan and we will be updating the information on the website when that will be the case. Please note that our vegan formulas at the moment are The Body Oil, The Face Oil and The Essence.”
It looks like they have since reformulated many of their non-vegan products to be vegan. It’s best to check their website and product descriptions for the most up-to-date and accurate information on which Augustinus Bader 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.
Where are Augustinus Bader’s products made?
I asked Augustinus Bader where their products are manufactured and they told me:
“Our formulas are developed in Germany and our products made between Germany and France.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Augustinus Bader’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
