Gisou

Last Updated: December 7, 2022

How Ethical Is Gisou?

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 Gisou's ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Gisou cruelty-free or vegan? Here’s what we know! Read below for more details on Gisou’s policies.
It is currently unclear whether Gisou is truly cruelty-free.
Gisou does not sell its products in stores in mainland China.
Gisou does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Gisou’s cruelty-free status is unclear, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Gisou to be vegan at this time.

Gisou

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Gisou’s Cruelty-Free Status is Unclear

It is unclear whether Gisou’s ingredients are tested on animals, by the company itself, its suppliers, or by any third parties. Gisou also did not specify if it allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.

As a result, we are unable to classify Gisou as being truly cruelty-free or animal-tested. Therefore, Gisou is listed as Grey AreaBrands with Unclear Policies.

Gisou’s Animal Testing Policy

Gisou claims on its website that its products are never tested on animals and that Gisou supports honey bees by using “cruelty-free” bee by-products. However, this is not enough information for us to classify Gisou or any other brand as being cruelty-free to our standards.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Gisou’s website:

Animal testing for cosmetics can happen at various stages of product development, including at the ingredient level, and is often done by others and not the cosmetic company itself.

This is why 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.

So I reached out to Gisou to ask for more information about their animal testing policy.

More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test, not just their finished products but their ingredients, on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).

And Gisou responded by saying:

“As our products contain honey or propolis derived from bees, our products are not vegan. However, all Gisou products are cruelty-free and have never been tested on animals. We follow a cruelty-free bee-centered approach, which means we let the bees guide our beekeeping practices, base our production on the harvesting cycle, and only take their surpluses if and when appropriate!

We do not ship to China or other countries that require animal testing by law.”

Despite asking Gisou for specific details about its animal testing policy, Gisou’s response was mainly focused on its “cruelty-free bee-centered approach” and how its products are not vegan.

Is Gisou Cruelty-Free?

Unfortunately, Gisou failed to address whether any of its ingredients are tested on animals, if the company verifies with all of its suppliers that they don’t test on animals, and if the company allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.

As a result, we cannot classify Gisou as a truly cruelty-free brand until they are more transparent with their animal testing policy.

Currently, Gisou is on our Grey Area Brands List – Brands with Unclear Policies.

Is Gisou Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Gisou Vegan?

Gisou does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Gisou’s cruelty-free status is unclear, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Gisou to be vegan at this time.

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.

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.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Gisou

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

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