DevaCurl (Henkel)

Last Updated: January 13, 2022

How Ethical Is DevaCurl (Henkel)?

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 DevaCurl's ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is DevaCurl cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on DevaCurl’s policies.
DevaCurl is cruelty-free but they’re owned by Henkel, a company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Not all of DevaCurl’s products are vegan but they have some vegan options.
DevaCurl does not claim or market itself as a sustainable company.
DevaCurl products come in recyclable plastic packaging. I couldn’t find anything stating they’re working on reducing their use of virgin plastic in their product packaging.

About DevaCurl (Henkel)

Time to love your natural hair with DevaCurl, offering all the know-how and products you need to cleanse, condition, & style your curls with definition and shine.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA, tools made in China
PRODUCTS: Hair Care
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International, PETA-Certified

DevaCurl (Henkel)

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

You can find DevaCurl cruelty-free products at Ulta, Target, and Amazon.

DevaCurl is *Cruelty-Free

DevaCurl 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 DevaCurl to be *Cruelty-Free.

*DevaCurl is owned by Henkel, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.

It’s your choice whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. I encourage you to do what you’re comfortable with, but I think it’s important to disclose that Henkel owns DevaCurl.

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

Is DevaCurl Cruelty-Free?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

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

“We do not sell our products in/to China, nor do we have plans to in the future.”

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.

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

How to know which of DevaCurl products are vegan?

All of DevaCurl’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.

In addition, DevaCurl states on its website that the majority of its products are vegan. See the statement below.

98% of our curly hair product line our collection is vegan
That means no animal ingredients whatsoever. (Cue thunderous applause from vegan curly girls). The only exceptions are Set it Free (it contains beeswax, a natural moisturizer) and Low-Poo, which is made with lanolin. This ingredient comes from sheep’s wool (through a harmless process), and keeps frizz in check. One of our future goals is to find swaps for lanolin and beeswax so that we can brag about our status as a FULLY vegan line.”

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 DevaCurl’s products made?

DevaCurl states on its website,

“DevaCurl started in New York City in 1994 and is still headquartered there today. All of our products, other than our tools and accessories, are formulated and manufactured in the USA. Our DevaDryer, DevaFuser and DevaTowel are manufactured in China.”

*Note: Cosmetics made in China are not required to be tested on animals. Only cosmetics that are imported and sold in physical stores in mainland China are required to be tested on animals according to China’s animal testing laws.


I hope this article helped you to understand DevaCurl’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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