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You can find Bare Republic cruelty-free products at Target and Amazon.
Bare Republic is Cruelty-Free
Bare Republic 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 Bare Republic to be Cruelty-Free.
“Our entire collection is completely animal cruelty free. You can find our cruelty free symbol of approval on packaging for the products in the form of the Animal Cruelty Free Heart Bunny. We do not test our ingredients or products on animals during any point of production; the same can be said for any third parties, and we can verify that our ingredient suppliers do not test the ingredients or supplies on animals.”
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Bare Republic has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
“Bare Republic is not available in China.”
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.
Cruelty-Free Policies
Note that there is no 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.
Bare Republic 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 Bare Republic, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of Bare Republic products are vegan?
Bare Republic marks all of its vegan products on its website.
“Our collection is completely vegan, with the exception of three products that contain beeswax. I will list them here:
- Mineral SPF 50 Baby Sunscreen Stick
- Mineral SPF 50 Sport Sunscreen Stick
- Mineral SPF 50 Sport Sunscreen Tinted Stick”
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 Bare Republic’s products made?
When I asked Bare Republic where their products manufactured, they told me:
“Our products are made and manufactured in the USA.”
Ethical Mica Mining Policy
Mica is a mineral that’s used in cosmetics to add a shimmery effect. But the mining of natural mica has been linked to child labor and human rights violations.
Unless the company discloses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.
So I asked Bare Republic if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“We incorporate the use of both natural and synthetic micas in our Bare Republic shimmer products. We only use natural micas if we can ensure they are mined responsibly, and we require documentation verifying the sourcing strategy from each of our suppliers. In all other cases, we choose to use synthetic micas made in a lab, and sustainability is ensured. Additionally, our micas are sourced responsibly, which covers both how our mica is mined and a no-tolerance policy on child labor. Our mica suppliers do not employ workers below 18 and enforce this requirement at all facilities worldwide.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Bare Republic’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
