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You can find Indie Lee cruelty-free products at Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom, Dermstore, Safe & Chic, and Amazon.
Indie Lee is Cruelty-Free
Indie Lee 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 Indie Lee to be Cruelty-Free.
“we are also Leaping Bunny certified as we do not and will not harm any animals in the making of our products.”
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Indie Lee has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
“we are not sold in mainland China as they test on animals.”
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.
Indie Lee 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 Indie Lee, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of Indie Lee products are vegan?
All of Indie Lee’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. In addition, Indie Lee claims all of their products are vegan except for two. See statement below.
“Are your products vegan?
All but two of our products is Vegan Friendly. Our Lip Treat and I-Waken Eye Serum are Beegan (they contains beeswax – which is humanely sourced. Bees are not harmed in its making). Safety and well being of animals is very important to us and for that reason we are Leaping Bunny Certified and we do not purchase from suppliers who are unable to prove they are cruelty-free as well.”
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 Indie Lee’s products made?
Indie Lee states on its website,
“Our products are manufactured in the USA and France.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Indie Lee’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
