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John Frieda is NOT Cruelty-Free!
John Frieda allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law.
John Frieda’s Animal Testing Policy
On John Frieda’s website, they claim they don’t test their formulas on animals, however, “occasionally, laws and regulations require testing of certain materials outside of the cosmetics category on animals.”
See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on John Frieda’s website:
Based on their statement, John Frieda states they make an exception to allow their materials to be tested on animals when laws and regulations require testing of certain materials outside of the cosmetics category on animals.
Truly cruelty-free brands will never allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals. Cruelty-free companies have a policy where if the law requires them to test on animals then they will refuse to sell their products under those conditions.
For example, imported cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by Chinese laws to be tested on animals upon registration. Therefore, truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China in order to remain committed to their no animal testing policy.
Unfortunately, John Frieda state they will allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals if the law requires it. For those reasons, John Frieda is NOT cruelty-free.
Cruelty-Free Policies
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 John Frieda allows its materials to be tested on animals if required by law, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is John Frieda Certified Cruelty-Free?
John Frieda is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Because John Frieda is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating John Frieda’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is John Frieda Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. John Frieda is owned by Kao, 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, John Frieda is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Kao.
Is John Frieda Cruelty-Free?
To sum up, John Frieda allows its materials to be tested on animals when required by law. Therefore, we would NOT consider John Frieda to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, John Frieda is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is John Frieda Vegan?
John Frieda claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because John Frieda engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by John Frieda to be vegan.
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. Also, they must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
Cruelty-Free Alternatives to John Frieda
Looking to switch to cruelty-free hair products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:
Or check out our Guide to Cruelty-Free Hair Care Brands!
