Balina Co is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Balina Co allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Balina Co’s Animal Testing Policy

While researching to learn more about Banila Co’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.

So, I tried reaching out to Banila Co multiple times 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 (like in mainland China).

However, Banila Co has failed to answer any of my emails for the past couple of years.

What I did find out through my own research was Banila Co products are sold in China.

This is an issue in regards to Banila Co’s cruelty-free status because cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by law to be tested on animals.

Is Balina Co Sold in China?

Below is a screenshot of Balina Co’s Chinese website and store locator showing results in mainland China:

This means Banila Co products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China where animal testing is required for most cosmetics.

But Doesn’t China No Longer Tests on Animals?

Companies can bypass China’s pre-market animal testing by choosing to manufacture their ordinary or general cosmetics in China, but it’s not stated anywhere that Balina Co has taken this route.

Additionally, the possibility of post-market animal testing is not completely ruled out and may be conducted on some cosmetics sold in physical stores in China.

As of May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies can also export and sell their ordinary or general cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet a set of preconditions first. However, meeting these conditions has proven difficult, and it’s still unclear what exactly is accepted according to the new regulations. So there’s no word yet of any company that has successfully done so.

Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Balina Co) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Balina Co 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 2022.

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

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

Cruelty-Free Policies

Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China because of its animal testing laws. Unfortunately, Balina Co 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, and by any third parties, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Balina Co already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Balina Co Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

Because Balina Co is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Balina Co’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Balina Co Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Balina Co must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Balina Co to be a cruelty-free brand.

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

Is Balina Co Vegan?

Banila Co does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Banila Co engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Banila Co to be vegan anyways.

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 Banila Co

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

• Klairs
• Purito
• Touch in Sol
• Glow Recipe

Or check out our Guide to Cruelty-Free K-Beauty Brands!