Birkenstock Skincare is Cruelty-Free

Birkenstock Natural Skin Care 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 Birkenstock Natural Skin Care to be Cruelty-Free.

“Animal testing may not be carried out or commissioned either in the development or testing phase of products.“

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Birkenstock Natural Skin Care 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.

Birkenstock Skincare 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 Birkenstock Natural Skin Care, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

How to know which of Birkenstock Skincare products are vegan?

All of Birkenstock’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. I was originally under the impression that all of Birkenstock Skincare products are vegan. But turns out that isn’t the case.

On this page, it says:

“All BIRKENSTOCK NATURAL SKIN CARE products are vegan and no animal-based ingredients are used.”

But it says otherwise on this page,

“Many BIRKENSTOCK NATURAL SKIN CARE products are vegan and no animal-based products are used.” And it also states, “The use of raw materials sourced from vertebrates is not permitted. Only certain animal-based products such as milk or honey are permitted.”

So I asked Birkenstock and they told me,

“Not all of them are vegan but looking at the “Certified natural cosmetic products” in the product description of each item will let you know which items are vegan.“

Double-check the ingredient list and the product description of each product to ensure it’s actually vegan. Because not all of Birkenstock’s skincare products are vegan as claimed.

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 Birkenstock Skin Care’s products made?

Birkenstock Natural Skin Care states on its website,

“Developed and produced in Germany using the best natural raw materials and certified according to a strict international standard for natural cosmetics”

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