Klorane is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Klorane allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Klorane’s Animal Testing Policy

On Klorane’s USA website, they claim they don’t perform animal testing on any of their products. However, some of Klorane’s other global sites state otherwise.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Klorane’s USA website:

But on Klorane UK and Canada website’s FAQ page, they have a drop-down saying, “Your products are sold in China. So you test your products on animals!” I couldn’t find this statement anywhere on their USA site.

See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Klorane’s UK & Canada site:

Here, Klorane state they do sell in China and that local regulations require animal testing by Chinese authorities.

Klorane also claims that they themselves are not conducting these animal tests. And that it’s the Chinese authorities that carry out these tests.

However, it’s because of Klorane’s decision to sell in China that these animal tests are being conducted on their products. Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China for this very reason.

Unfortunately, Klorane refuses to do the same. Therefore, Klorane is NOT cruelty-free.

Is Klorane Sold in China?

Yes. Klorane products are sold in China as confirmed by the company’s FAQ page.

But Doesn’t China No Longer Tests on Animals?

Companies can bypass China’s pre-market animal testing by choosing to manufacture their ordinary or general cosmetics in China, but it’s not stated anywhere that Klorane has taken this route.

Additionally, the possibility of post-market animal testing is not completely ruled out and may be conducted on some cosmetics sold in physical stores in China.

As of May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies can also export and sell their ordinary or general cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet a set of preconditions first. However, meeting these conditions has proven difficult, and it’s still unclear what exactly is accepted according to the new regulations. So there’s no word yet of any company that has successfully done so.

Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Klorane) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Klorane has decided to sell in mainland China stores, they must consent and pay to have their products tested on animals. That’s why most cosmetics brands selling in mainland China cannot be considered cruelty-free in 2022.

Although Klorane may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals to sell in China.

For those reasons, we would not consider Klorane to be cruelty-free by our standards.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China because of its animal testing laws. Unfortunately, Klorane refuses to do the same and therefore cannot be considered cruelty-free.

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 Klorane already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Klorane Certified Cruelty-Free?

Klorane is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

Because Klorane is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Klorane’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Klorane Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Klorane is owned by Pierre Fabre, 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, Klorane is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Pierre Fabre.

Is Klorane Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Klorane must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Klorane to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, Klorane is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Klorane Vegan?

Klorane claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Klorane engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Klorane 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.

Read Also: What’s the difference: Cruelty-Free vs. Vegan?

I also noticed Sephora listing some of Klorane products in their “Vegan Skincare” category but note that Klorane is NOT cruelty-free. Klorane products are tested on animals.

Sephora is labeling products as “vegan” when they’re formulated without any animal ingredients or by-products. But “Vegan” Cosmetics should also consider whether the products or its ingredients were tested on animals, anywhere in the world.

Cruelty-Free & Vegan Alternatives to Klorane:

If you’re looking for a cruelty-free and vegan alternative to Klorane’s dry shampoo, we recommend trying out the following vegan dry shampoo:

• amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo
• Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo
• IGK First Class Charcoal Detox Vegan Dry Shampoo