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You can find Deborah Lippmann cruelty-free products at Nordstrom, Sephora, and Amazon.
Deborah Lippmann is Cruelty-Free
Deborah Lippmann 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 Deborah Lippmann to be Cruelty-Free.
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Deborah Lippmann has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
“Our products are not sold 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, or any third parties.
Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.
Deborah Lippmann 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 Deborah Lippmann, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of Deborah Lippmann products are vegan?
All of Deborah Lippmann’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.
In addition, I had asked Deborah Lippmann if all of their nail polishes are vegan and they responded by saying,
“The Gel lab Pro nail color and all our treatments are vegan except for Cuticle Remover which contains lanolin.”
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 Deborah Lippmann’s products made?
When I asked Deborah Lippmann where their products are manufactured, they told me:
“Our nail polishes are made 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 Deborah Lippmann if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“We’re happy to confirm that our suppliers of mica (sourced in India) are active members of The Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI)’ and have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to child labor. Our supplier’s parent companies perform the independent audits and if they encounter non-compliance or inadequate control, they immediately terminate the vendor contract.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Deborah Lippmann’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
