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Is Biotherm Cruelty-Free?
☠️ Biotherm is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Biotherm allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, including when selling in stores in mainland China.
Biotherm’s Animal Testing Policy
When asking, does Biotherm test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Biotherm’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.
However, I couldn’t find Biotherm’s animal testing statement anywhere on its website.
So I reached out to Biotherm to ask for more information. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test, not just their finished products but their ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like mainland China).
And the company responded by saying,
“Biotherm, a brand of the L’Oréal Group, does not test any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals and has been at the forefront of alternative methods for over 30 years.
In 1989, L’Oréal completely ceased testing its products on animals, 14 years before it was required by regulation. Today, L’Oréal no longer tests its ingredients on animals. L’Oréal no longer tolerates any exception to this rule. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Based on their response, Biotherm has the same animal testing policy as L’Oreal.
But what’s not included in Biotherm’s response is L’Oreal’s full animal testing policy, which also includes the following:
“Certain health authorities may nevertheless decide to conduct animal tests themselves for certain cosmetic products, as it is still the case in China. L’Oréal is the most active company working alongside the Chinese authorities and scientists for over 10 years to have alternative testing methods recognized, and permit the cosmetic regulation to evolve towards a total and definite elimination of animal testing. Thanks to this, since 2014, certain products manufactured and sold in China like shampoo, body wash or certain make-up products are no longer tested on animals.”
L’Oreal allows some of its products to be tested on animals when certain health authorities require it.
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.
For example, some imported cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by Chinese laws to be tested on animals upon registration. Therefore, truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China in order to remain committed to their no animal testing policy.
Is Biotherm Sold in China?
Yes, Biotherm is sold in stores in mainland China. View their Chinese website here, along with a list of their stores in China.
But Doesn’t China No Longer Test on Animals?
With the recent changes to China’s animal testing laws, cosmetic companies can now export and sell some of their cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet ALL of the following preconditions first.
- ONLY sell ‘general’ cosmetics (like makeup, skincare, haircare, nail polish, and perfumes)
- must NOT sell any ‘special’ cosmetics like sunscreens, hair dye, hair perming, or other cosmetics claiming new efficacy
- must NOT sell products designed for infants or children
- must NOT sell products that contain a ‘New Cosmetic Ingredient’
- AND if post-market testing is required, then the company must have a policy in place where it will RECALL its products rather than allow its products to be tested on animals
Also, products must meet ONE of the following in order to avoid animal testing in China:
- manufactured in China, or the final assembly is in China
- if manufactured outside of China and then exported to China, companies must obtain the proper product safety certificates and documents
However, it’s not stated anywhere that Biotherm 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 Biotherm) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2023.
Because Biotherm 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 Biotherm 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 Biotherm to be cruelty-free by our standards.
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Is Biotherm Certified Cruelty-Free?
Biotherm is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Since Biotherm is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Biotherm’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Biotherm Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. Biotherm is owned by L’Oreal, a 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, Biotherm is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, L’Oreal.
Does Biotherm Test on Animals?
To wrap up, Biotherm allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, including when selling in China. Therefore, we would NOT consider Biotherm to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Biotherm is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Biotherm Vegan?
❌ Biotherm is NOT vegan. Biotherm claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but Biotherm engages in animal testing in some capacity, so we wouldn’t consider any Biotherm products vegan at this time.
