Glow Recipe

Last Updated: January 17, 2023

How Ethical Is Glow Recipe?

Supporting companies that share the same values and ethics to what matters most to us is how we can drive positive change in this world. Here’s a quick summary of Glow Recipe’s ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Glow Recipe cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Glow Recipe’s policies.
Glow Recipe is cruelty-free. None of Glow Recipe’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals, anywhere in the world.
Not all of Glow Recipe’s products are vegan but they have some vegan options.
Glow Recipe is committed to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2022. So far, they’ve started switching to wind power and eliminating single-use plastics in their office. Additionally, their packaging is 100% recyclable and Glow Recipe offers a recycling program with TerraCycle.
Glow Recipe products come in recyclable glass and plastic packaging. Their glass jars are made with 20% recycled glass and designed to be repurposed. And their cartons are made with a blend of PEFC-certified recycled paper, printed using soy-based inks. Additionally, all of their shipping materials are made with recycled content including their boxes, tissue paper, air bubbles, and leaflets that are all 100% recyclable.

Glow Recipe also offers a recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle where you can send back your empties to them to be recycled.

About Glow Recipe

Glow Recipe offers clean, fruit-powered skincare designed to help bring out your inner glow.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: South Korea, USA
PRODUCTS: Skincare
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny

Glow Recipe

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

Is Glow Recipe Cruelty-Free?

🐰 Glow Recipe is a cruelty-free brand. None of Glow Recipe’s ingredients or products are tested on animals. Glow Recipe has met all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist and is included in our Cruelty-Free Directory.

Does Glow Recipe Test on Animals?

When asking, does Glow Recipe test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Glow Recipe’s ingredients or suppliers test on animals. And they don’t sell in any country or under conditions that may require animal testing by law.

In our research, we discovered the following:

  • ✓ Glow Recipe confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf.
  • ✓ Glow Recipe confirmed all their ingredient suppliers do not test on animals
  • ✓ Glow Recipe confirmed they do not allow or sell their products under conditions where animal testing is required by law

By meeting all of our Cruelty-Free Criteria, Glow Recipe is a truly cruelty-free brand by our standards.

What is Glow Recipe’s Animal Testing Policy?

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

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Glow Recipe has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

With the current changes to China’s animal testing laws, some cosmetics sold in China can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, without meeting those conditions, animal testing is still legally required for most cosmetics sold in China in 2023.

Is Glow Recipe Certified Cruelty-Free?

Glow Recipe is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.

Cruelty-Free Policies 2023

Just because a brand claims it is ‘Cruelty-Free,’ doesn’t always mean that’s the case.

That’s because 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.

How We Assess Cruelty-Free Policies

Since 2015, the start of my blog, I’ve been emailing companies asking about their animal testing policies and cruelty-free commitments.

And based on the responses I receive from companies, I’ll research to find any supporting facts needed before concluding whether the brand should be classified as “Cruelty-Free,” “Animal-Tested,” or “Grey Area – Unclear Policies.”

☕️ Every week, I continue to reach out to new brands while trying my best to keep current brands updated. If you found any of my posts or guides helpful, consider Buying Me A Coffee! I would greatly appreciate it! ❤️

What about Vegan?

Just because something is called Cruelty-Free, doesn’t always mean it’s Vegan. And vice versa.

Cruelty-Free only refers to no animal testing, while Vegan means formulated without animal products.

Some brands are Cruelty-Free, but not Vegan.

And some are Vegan, but not Cruelty-Free.

Another important distinction to know is, Vegan in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand is 100% Vegan or a specific product is Vegan.

Is Glow Recipe Vegan?

⭐️ Glow Recipe is NOT an entirely vegan brand. But Glow Recipe offers some vegan options that are free of animal products.

How to know which of Glow Recipe’s products are vegan?

All of Glow Recipe’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. Glow Recipe also claims all of its products are vegan except one that contains honey.

Below is what’s currently stated on Glow Recipe’s website:

Glow Recipe Vegan Claims

Where to buy Glow Recipe? Check out glowrecipe.com, Sephora, Cult Beauty, and Amazon!

Vegan Policies

Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But Vegan is generally used to mean formulated without animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.

Some common animal products 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 unless a brand explicitly labels its ingredients or product as Vegan, it’s often 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 chose were from non-animal sources.

Where are Glow Recipe’s products made?

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

“Some of our products are made in South Korea and some are made in the U.S. Each product will have its country of origin marked on the packaging.”

Ethical Mica Mining Policy

Mica is a mineral 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.

Fortunately, Glow Recipe claims its highlighting dew drops are formulated without mica.


I hope this article helped you to understand Glow Recipe’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!

If you found this helpful, consider Buying Me a Coffee. So that I can continue to keep this site running and updated.

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