Is Bobbi Brown Cruelty-Free?

☠️ Bobbi Brown is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Bobbi Brown allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Bobbi Brown’s Animal Testing Policy

When asking, does Bobbi Brown test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Bobbi Brown’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.

On Bobbi Brown’s website, they claim they do not test their products or ingredients on animals, except where required by law.

See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Bobbi Brown’s website:

Policies stating, “except where required by law,” usually imply the company distributes its products in countries that require animal testing, like mainland China.

Is Bobbi Brown Sold in China?

In my research, I discovered that Bobbi Brown products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

Below is a screenshot of Bobbi Brown’s store locator showing results in mainland China:

However, it’s not stated anywhere that Bobbi Brown 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 Bobbi Brown) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2023.

Because Bobbi Brown 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 Bobbi Brown 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 Bobbi Brown to be cruelty-free by our standards.

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Cruelty-Free Policies

Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China under conditions where animal tests may be required. Unfortunately, Bobbi Brown 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, or by any third parties, including when required by law.

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

Is Bobbi Brown Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

Since Bobbi Brown is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Bobbi Brown’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Bobbi Brown Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Bobbi Brown is owned by Estee Lauder, 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, Bobbi Brown is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, Estee Lauder.

Does Bobbi Brown Test on Animals?

To wrap up, Bobbi Brown allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, like when selling in China. Therefore, we would NOT consider Bobbi Brown to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, Bobbi Brown is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Bobbi Brown Vegan?

❌ Bobbi Brown is NOT vegan. Bobbi Brown does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Bobbi Brown engages in animal testing in some capacity, we wouldn’t consider any Bobbi Brown products 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.

I also noticed Sephora listing some of Bobbi Brown products in their “Vegan Skincare” category but note that Bobbi Brown is NOT cruelty-free. Bobbi Brown products are tested on animals.

I’m assuming Sephora is labeling products as “vegan” when they’re formulated without any animal ingredients or by-products. But “Vegan” Cosmetics should also consider whether the products or its ingredients were tested on animals, anywhere in the world.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Bobbi Brown:

Looking for a cruelty-free alternative to Bobbi Brown? We recommend the following cruelty-free makeup brands:

• Hourglass *owned by Unilever
• Westman Atelier
• Urban Decay *owned by L’Oreal
• ILIA *owned by Clarins
• Merit

and check out our list of high-end cruelty-free makeup brands!