Givenchy is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Givenchy allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.

In addition, Givenchy is owned by LVMH, a parent company that is also NOT cruelty-free.

Givenchy’s Animal Testing Policy

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

So I reached out to Givenchy 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 Givenchy responded by saying:

“Committed to upholding customer confidence in its products, the LVMH group has always endeavoured to supply products of consistently high and impeccable quality. Thus, the products we develop comply with the strictest legislations throughout the world, whilst also meeting our internal development criteria and the most stringent quality, traceability and safety constraints. This dual requisite guarantees the product’s safety for the consumer.

The LVMH Group’s policy concerning this sensitive issue is very clear and simple: we refrain from using animal extracts as cosmetic ingredients. Our aim is to ensure the consumer’s safety with our products, while respecting animal life. The LVMH Group is strongly attached to eliminating animal testing of cosmetics products everywhere in the world. LVMH plays a prominent role in developing alternatives through its support for organizations such as the American Fund for Alternatives to Animal Testing, or the Opal program in France. What’s more, the LVMH group is one of the rare companies to have invested in its own “in vitro toxicology” department. This department enables us to perform tests on raw materials and ingredients in-house using alternatives to animals for testing of cosmetics, drawing on the latest scientific research.”

Based on their response, it turns out that Givenchy Beauty is owned by LVMH. And Givenchy has the same animal testing policy as LVMH. However, what’s missing from Givenchy’s response is that LVMH sells some of its brands in China where animal testing is required by law.

Is Givenchy Sold in China?

In my research, I discovered that Givenchy products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

Below is a screenshot of Givenchy’s Chinese website and store locator showing results in mainland China:

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 Givenchy 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 Givenchy) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Givenchy 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 Givenchy 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 Givenchy 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, Givenchy 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 Givenchy already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Givenchy Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Givenchy Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Givenchy is owned by LVMH, a parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2022.

Some cruelty-free consumers may choose to purchase and support cruelty-free brands owned by animal-tested parent corporations as they hope it will convince the parent company to become cruelty-free.

But in this case, Givenchy is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, LVMH.

Is Givenchy Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Givenchy must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Givenchy to be a cruelty-free brand.

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

Is Givenchy Vegan?

Givenchy does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Givenchy engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Givenchy 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, and also must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Givenchy

Looking to switch to cruelty-free brands? Here are some cruelty-free and vegan-friendly options that are similar to Givenchy:

• KVD Vegan Beauty *owned by Kendo, LVMH
• Hourglass *owned by Unilever
• Koh Gen Do
• Urban Decay *owned by L’Oreal
• Westman Atelier

Or check out our list of High-End Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands! We also have a list of cruelty-free perfumes that you can get at Sephora.