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Hiro Cosmetics is Cruelty-Free
Hiro Cosmetics 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 Hiro Cosmetics to be Cruelty-Free.
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Hiro Cosmetics 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 available in China and we don’t have any plans to sell within 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, and by any third parties.
Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.
Hiro Cosmetics is 100% Vegan
Hiro Cosmetics has confirmed all of its products are vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
“Are all your products vegan?
Yes, you can purchase any Hiro product without having to check the ingredient lists. All our products are vegan.”
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 Hiro Cosmetics’ products made?
Hiro Cosmetics states on its website,
“Our products are made in USA, Germany, Italy and Czech Republic (depending on product)”
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.
Thankfully, Hiro Cosmetics states on its website,
“The concern expressed regarding child labor practices within India’s mica industry is very real and very valid. Our suppliers have strict protocols for our ingredient/vendor sourcing …… due diligence and adherence to sustainability, purity, and enforcement of human rights by our direct and indirect suppliers.
Almost all of our micas are mined and sourced in the USA. For mica originating from India we require the approved vendors we use to adhere to NRSC (National Resources Stewardship Circle) guidelines, an organization dedicated to responsible sourcing in the beauty industry. The mica material is sourced from audited, gated mines and the use of child labor is forbidden. This formal working environment is the only way to ensure compliance, since child labor cannot be ruled out if mica is gathered in publicly accessible areas and villages.
The main problem today has to do with color cosmetics made in China, where many of the factories use very inexpensive ingredients from India and human rights violations by their sources are not a factor in their decisions.
Concerning impurities: naturally all our ingredients are cleaned and tested for purity so that any traces of heavy metals left inside ingredients are negligible (otherwise we would not even be allowed to sell them in the EU). We also have extensive safety reports of every single ingredient as well as finished products on file.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Hiro Cosmetics cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
