Is Avene Cruelty-Free?

☠️ Avene is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Avene allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Avene’s Animal Testing Policy

When asking, does Avene test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Avene’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.

Interestingly, Avene states two different animal testing statements on its US website and other countries sites.

On aveneusa.com, Avene claims its in compliance to the EU directive that bans animal testing. See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Avene’s US website.

However, when viewing the Frequently Asked Questions on Avene’s Canadian and Australian sites, it states something different. See below for a screenshot of Avene Canada FAQ:

Avene Canada again states the EU’s animal testing ban for cosmetics but then there’s a tab asking, How are your products tested for the Chinese market?

Is Avene Sold in China?

Avene states it markets its products in China and animal tests are imposed by local regulations. Although Avene states it does not approve of these regulations, they must still comply with these laws in order to sell its products in China.

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.

Unfortunately, Avene state they allow their products to be tested on animals when selling in China. For those reasons, Avene is NOT cruelty-free.

However, it’s not stated anywhere that Avene has taken any steps to meet the above preconditions in order to avoid animal testing while selling in China.

Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Avene) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2023.

Because Avene has decided to sell in mainland China stores, they must consent and pay to have their products tested on animals. That’s why most cosmetics brands selling in mainland China cannot be considered cruelty-free in 2023.

Although Avene may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals in order to sell in China.

For those reasons, we would not consider Avene to be cruelty-free by our standards.

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Cruelty-Free Policies

Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China under conditions where animal tests may be required. Unfortunately, Avene refuses to do the same and therefore cannot be considered cruelty-free.

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 Avene already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Avene Certified Cruelty-Free?

Avene is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

Since Avene is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Avene’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Avene Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Avene is owned by Pierre Fabre, 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, Avene is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, Pierre Fabre.

Does Avene Test on Animals?

To wrap up, Avene allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, like when selling in China. Therefore, we would NOT consider Avene to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, Avene is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Avene Vegan?

❌ Avene is NOT vegan. Avene claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but Avene engages in animal testing in some capacity, so we wouldn’t consider any Avene 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 Avène:

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• Mario Badescu
• Derma E
• Skyn Iceland
• Juice Beauty
• Skinfix