Differin is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Differin allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.

Differin’s Animal Testing Policy

While researching to learn more about Differin’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.

So I reached out to Differin to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).

And Differin responded by saying:

“Differin® products (other than Differin®   Gel, 0.1%)  are not tested on animals except where required by law. 

Until 2016, Differin® Gel, 0.1% was previously available only by prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other global health regulatory agencies require all pharmaceutical manufacturers to protect the public health by demonstrating product safety, effectiveness, and quality through industry standard and validated testing methods, which may include animal testing in some instances.“

Based on their response, Differin states they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law. And that their Differin Gel may have been required by the FDA to be tested on animals.

Truly cruelty-free brands will never allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals. Cruelty-free companies have a policy where if the law requires them to test on animals then they will refuse to sell their products under those conditions.

Unfortunately, Differin states they will allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals if the law requires it. For those reasons, Differin is NOT cruelty-free.

Cruelty-Free Policies

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, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Differin states it allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Differin Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

Because Differin is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Differin’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Differin Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, Differin allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law. Therefore, we would NOT consider Differin to be a cruelty-free brand.

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

Is Differin Vegan?

Differin claims to offer some products that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Differin engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Differin to be vegan.

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.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Differin

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• The Ordinary *owned by Estee Laude
• Paula’s Choice *owned by Unilever
• The Inkey List
• Murad *owned by Unilever