This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Diptyque is NOT Cruelty-Free!
Diptyque allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.
Diptyque’s Animal Testing Policy
While researching to learn more about Diptyque’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.
So I reached out to Diptyque 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 Diptyque responded by saying:
“Our products are made according to the European regulations relative to cosmetics and are not tested on animals as per the law of September 11th, 2004. Moreover, since March 11th, 2009, the law also forbids practicing animal experiments on raw materials composing our formulas.
Our products are regularly tested by French and/or European laboratories.”
Diptyque’s response that their products are made according to EU regulations is not enough information for us to classify Diptyque or any other brand as being cruelty-free according to our standards.
It’s true that the EU has banned the sale and marketing of cosmetics that are tested on animals. However, cosmetics can be tested on animals outside of the EU and those brands can still sell in the EU.
This is especially the case for EU-based companies wanting to sell their products in China where most imported cosmetics are required by law to be tested on animals.
So, I asked Diptyque whether their products are sold in stores in China.
Is Diptyque Sold in China?
In an email response, Diptyque confirmed to me that their products are indeed sold in mainland China, stating:
“I can confirm that our items are sold in mainland China.”
In addition, I found several boutiques listed in their store locator page selling Diptyque products in mainland China. Below is a screenshot I took from their website:
But Doesn’t China No Longer Tests on Animals?
Companies can bypass China’s pre-market animal testing by choosing to manufacture their ordinary or general cosmetics in China, but it’s not stated anywhere that Diptyque has taken this route.
Additionally, the possibility of post-market animal testing is not completely ruled out and may be conducted on some cosmetics sold in physical stores in China.
As of May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies can also export and sell their ordinary or general cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet a set of preconditions first. However, meeting these conditions has proven difficult, and it’s still unclear what exactly is accepted according to the new regulations. So there’s no word yet of any company that has successfully done so.
Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Diptyque) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.
Because Diptyque 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 2022.
Although Diptyque may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals to sell in China.
For those reasons, we would not consider Diptyque to be cruelty-free by our standards.
Cruelty-Free Policies
Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China because of its animal testing laws. Unfortunately, Diptyque 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, and by any third parties, including when required by law.
See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Diptyque already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is Diptyque Certified Cruelty-Free?
Diptyque is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Because Diptyque is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Diptyque’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Diptyque Cruelty-Free?
To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Diptyque must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Diptyque to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Diptyque is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Diptyque Vegan?
Diptyque does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Diptyque engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Diptyque to be 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.
Cruelty-Free Alternatives
Looking to switch to cruelty-free brands? Check out some more of our cruelty-free resources:
