You can find Klairs cruelty-free products at Ulta, Soko Glam, iHerb, and Amazon.

Klairs is Cruelty-Free

Klairs 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 Klairs to be Cruelty-Free.

“Regarding your inquiry, please kindly be assured that all of Klairs’ products are cruelty-free. Neither us nor our suppliers test on animals; we do not sell our products in China, or open shipment to China on our website.“

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Klairs has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to 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, and by any third parties.

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

Klairs 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 Klairs, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

Additionally, Klairs states they’re working on becoming a fully vegan cosmetics line and that currently, about 80% of their products are suitable for vegans. (Source)

How to know which of Klairs products are vegan?

Unfortunately, Klairs doesn’t label which of their products are vegan on their website. But I found the best way to know which of Klairs products are vegan is by shopping from one of their retailers like Ulta or Soko Glam where they’ll state if they’re vegan in the product descriptions.

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.

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 Klairs if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor, but they never responded to any of my emails or messages.

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