Bésame Cosmetics

Last Updated: January 27, 2022

How Ethical Is Bésame Cosmetics?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here's a summary of Besame's ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Bésame Cosmetics cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Bésame’s policies.
Bésame is cruelty-free. None of Bésame’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals, anywhere in the world.
Not all of Bésame’s products are vegan but they have some vegan options.
Bésame’s claims they’re committed “to sustainable practices” and their cosmetics are produced with “ethically-sourced ingredients, from the US when possible”. They also offer refillable and low-waste makeup products. But other than that, I couldn’t find any other information on their website of their responsible manufacturing practices or ethical ingredient sourcing policies.
Bésame claims all of the ingredients and materials are made in the US where “there is no child labor involved”. However, they did not specifically address the sourcing of their mica and how they trace or certify that their mica was mined without child labor. See their ethical mica mining policy here.
Some of Bésame are plastic-free or low-waste like their ‘Cake Mascara’ that come in a recyclable tin that can also be reused with their refills. Bésame also offers refills for their powder cosmetics that come packaged in a recyclable paper envelope. However, other Bésame products come in plastic packaging.

About Bésame Cosmetics

Bésame Cosmetics is a luxury vintage makeup brand that honors the style, spirit, & sensibility of female beauty.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA
PRODUCTS: Makeup, Skincare, Nails
CERTIFICATIONS: PETA-Certified

Bésame Cosmetics

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

You can find Bésame cruelty-free products at Camera Ready Cosmetics and Amazon.

Bésame is Cruelty-Free

Bésame Cosmetics 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 Bésame to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Bésame’s website about its animal testing policy:

Is Besame Cruelty-Free?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Besame Cosmetics has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

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.

Bésame 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 Bésame, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

How to know which of Bésame products are vegan?

All of Bésame’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. They also claim their powders, cake mascara, and cream rouges are vegan.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Bésame’s website about its vegan claims:

Is Besame 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 Bésame’s products made?

I asked Besame where their products are manufactured and they told me:

“All our produced is manufactured in the U.S.”

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 Bésame if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“Thanks so much for reaching out. All of our products are made in the U.S with ingredients and materials made in the U.S and there is no child labor involved :)”

Bésame did not specifically address where their mica is sourced from and how they audit or trace to ensure no child labor was involved in mining their mica.


I hope this article helped you to understand Bésame’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!

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