Is Avene Cruelty-free?

Eau Thermale Avène offers all types of products for unique and sensitive skin. They are mostly known for their Thermal Spring Water Spray which is also the main ingredient in most of their products. But I wanted to know, is Avene cruelty-free or vegan?

Is Avene Cruelty-Free?

Avene is not cruelty-free; Avene products are tested on animals and sold in mainland China where all imported cosmetics are required by law to be tested on animals.

Avene’s Animal Testing Statement

On their website, Avène claims their products and ingredients are not tested on animals, complying with the EU marketing and sale ban of animal-tested cosmetics.

But Avène failed to mention one specific detail on their website. They sell their products in China. Under China’s current laws, all imported cosmetics are required by law to be tested on animals.

In a recent email response, Avene has stated and confirmed:

“At the moment, Avene does sell it’s products in China. We know that China is updating and improving their laws in regards to testing so we look forward to the changes and implementations they will be making in the next couple of years.” (July 2019)

This means that Avene’s animal testing policy has remained unchanged since the original publication of this post in 2016. Avene products are still being sold in mainland China where is it still required that all imported cosmetics be tested on animals.

Avene’s Animal Testing Statement

In a previous email response in 2016, they confirmed that their products are indeed marketed in China and therefore must undergo animal testing as required by China’s laws.

“we market our products in China and tests imposed by local regulations are performed by laboratories accredited by the Chinese authorities. Some of these tests are performed on animals. We do not agree to this practice; however we cannot oppose it.” (Feb 2016)

If Avene does not agree with China’s mandatory animal testing requirements, then they shouldn’t be selling their products in China until those laws are changed.

Although Avène mentions in the email that they are working to “persuade Chinese authorities to suspend these tests on animals and to use alternative methods,” I personally don’t trust or feel comfortable supporting or buying from a company that claims to be against animal testing but at the same time, will pay others to test their own products on animals on their behalf.

Avène unfortunately is not cruelty-free; they test on animals when required by law. 

Is Avene Vegan?

To my surprise, I noticed Avene claims their Thermal Spring Water Spray is vegan in which it doesn’t contain animal products or by-products. However, because Avene’s products/ingredients are tested on animals, we would not consider anything produced by Avene to be vegan when they’re not even cruelty-free.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Avene:

There are plenty of cruelty-free skincare alternatives to Avene, here are some of my personal cruelty-free recommendations:

• Mario Badescu
• Derma E – 100% Vegan
• Skyn Iceland – 100% Vegan
• Juice Beauty