Green Beaver

Last Updated: February 1, 2022

How Ethical Is Green Beaver?

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 Green Beaver's ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Green Beaver cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Green Beaver’s policies.
Green Beaver is cruelty-free. None of Green Beaver’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals anywhere in the world.
Not all of Green Beaver’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Green Beaver products are exclusively designed, developed, and tested in Canada with carefully selected locally-grown organic ingredients.

Green Beaver also claims the company is “determined to emphasize the importance of reducing energy consumption and using healthy production methods whenever possible.” However, it’s not clear from their website what actions and procedures they have implemented to do so.
Green Beaver claims their mica is ethically sourced without child labor. See their ethical mica mining policy here.
Green Beaver products are packaged in plastic bottles and containers. They claim “100% recycled” and “biodegradable” on the homepage of their website, but it’s not clear what that means.

About Green Beaver

Founded in 2002, Green Beaver was born from a desire to offer natural and safe products accessible to consumers.
COMPANY BASED IN: Canada
PRODUCTS MADE IN: Canada
PRODUCTS: Skincare, Bath & Body Care, Hair Care, Oral Care
CERTIFICATIONS: PETA-Certified

Green Beaver

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

You can find Green Beaver cruelty-free products at well.ca, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Walmart Canada.

Green Beaver is Cruelty-Free

Green Beaver has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf. Their suppliers also do not test on animals, nor do they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law. And finally, their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing.

By our standards, we would consider Green Beaver to be Cruelty-Free.

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

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

“Our products are not sold in China.”

As of May 1, 2021, some imported ordinary cosmetics can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, for the most part, animal testing is still legally required for most imported cosmetics in 2022.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Note that 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.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

Green Beaver is Not 100% Vegan

‘Vegan’ in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand that is 100% Vegan or a specific product is vegan.

In the case of Green Beaver, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

The following is a snippet of the email response I received from Green Beaver when I asked if their products are vegan:

“Yes our products are vegan. Some of our products contain beeswax that come from eco-responsible bee farming.”

How to know which of Green Beaver products are vegan?

Green Beaver claims all of their products are vegan except their lip balms which contain organic beeswax.

“We do not compromise on the quality and safety of our products. Gluten-free, vegan (except for our lip balms made from organic beeswax) and no animal testing are practiced on our range.”

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.

Where are Green Beaver’s products made?

I asked Green Beaver where their products are manufactured and they told me:

“Green Beaver is a Canadian company and proud to say that our products in manufactured in Canada.”

Ethical Mica Mining Policy

Mica is a mineral that’s 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.

So I asked Green Beaver if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“I have the answer your are looking for and I assure you there is nothing to worry about.

Founder, Alain confirms the mica that we use is certified by Ecocert. https://www.ecocert.com/en.

The standard ensures that the mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor.

Furthermore, it ensures that it is extracted without the use of chemicals. It must be done in sustainably.

I completely understand your concern and for that I have reached out to the owner in order to provide assurance and the best answer.”


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

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