Kristin Ess

Last Updated: September 6, 2022

How Ethical Is Kristin Ess?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here's a summary of Kristin Ess's ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Kristin Ess cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Kristin Ess’s policies.
Kristin Ess is cruelty-free. None of Kristin Ess’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals anywhere in the world.
Not all of Kristin Ess’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Kristin Ess does not claim or market itself as a sustainable company.
Kristin Ess products come in plastic packaging. I couldn’t find anything stating they’re working on reducing their use of virgin plastic in their product packaging.

About Kristin Ess

Affordable luxury haircare and styling tools by Kristin Ess, celebrity hairstylist and colorist.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA, China
PRODUCTS: Haircare
CERTIFICATIONS: PETA-Certified

Kristin Ess

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

You can find Kristin Ess cruelty-free products at Ulta, Target, and on Amazon.

Kristin Ess is Cruelty-Free

Kristin Ess 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 Kristin Ess to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Kristin Ess’s website about its animal testing policy:

Is Kristin Ess Cruelty-Free?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Kristin Ess has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

“Please note, that our products are not sold in mainland 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, or any third parties.

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

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

How to know which of Kristin Ess products are vegan?

All of Kristin Ess’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Kristin Ess’s website about its vegan claims:

Is Kristin Ess 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 Kristin Ess’s products made?

Kristin Ess states on its website,

“Kristin Ess Hair haircare products and holiday kits are manufactured in the US

Kristin Ess Hair tools and accessories are manufactured in China.”

*Note: Cosmetics made in China are not required to be tested on animals. Only cosmetics that are imported and sold in physical stores in mainland China are required to be tested on animals according to China’s animal testing laws.


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

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