Dial (Henkel)

Last Updated: July 8, 2022

How Ethical Is Dial (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 Dial's ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Dial cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Dial’s policies.
Dial is *cruelty-free, but Dial is owned by Henkel, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Not all of Dial’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Dial has partnered with TerraCycle where customers can mail their Dial packaging to be recycled by TerraCycle. Dial also has a partnership with Plastic Bank where the company uses recycled plastic collected from beach and land for its product packaging. And Dial also offers concentrated refills that uses 95% less plastic.
I asked Dial if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and I’m currently waiting to hear back from the brand.
Dial’s products come in plastic packaging, however, Dial offers refill bottles made with recycled plastic. Dial also offers concentrated refills which they claim uses 95% less plastic.

About Dial (Henkel)

America’s trusted brand for over 70 years, Dial delivers clean, healthy skin for you and your family.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA
PRODUCTS: Bath & Body Care, Hand Care
CERTIFICATIONS: Cruelty Free International

Dial (Henkel)

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

You can find Dial cruelty-free products at Target, Walmart, and on Amazon.

Dial is *Cruelty-Free

Dial 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 Dial Soap to be *Cruelty-Free.

*Dial 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 Diap Soap.

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

Is Dial Cruelty-Free?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Dial 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, or any third parties.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

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

How to know which of Dial products are vegan?

Dials claims its Clean + Gentle collection is vegan, stating “They are dermatologist-tested and vegan.”

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 Dial’s products made?

I asked Dial where their products are manufactured and they told me:

“Dial is Made in USA. Ingredients & Materials are sourced in different parts in 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 Dial if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and I’m currently waiting to hear back from the brand.


I hope this article helped you to understand Dial’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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