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You can find LA Colors cruelty-free products on Amazon and at Walmart.
LA Colors is Cruelty-Free
LA Colors 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 LA Colors to be Cruelty-Free.
Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on LA Colors’ website about its animal testing policy:
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
LA Colors 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, or any third parties.
Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.
LA Colors 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 LA Colors, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of LA Colors products are vegan?
All of LA Colors’ vegan products are clearly marked on their website.
When I asked LA Colors if their products are vegan, they responded and told me:
“Some of our products do contain Carmine (which is derived from an insect) and Lanolin which is derived from sheep’s wool. If you are interested in a specific product, please provide us with the item number/description and we can specify for you.”
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 LA Colors’ products made?
I asked LA Colors where their products are manufactured and they told me:
“Our wonderful LA Colors Cosmetics are produced in China, for your reassurance, most of the raw materials used in our cosmetics come from U.S. and Europe. We only use ingredients that are CTFA and FDA approved which have strict guidelines to ensure the safety of our cosmetics. All our products are tested to ensure quality and consistency of formulation. The health and safety of our customers is our highest priority.
In addition, all of our products are batch tested before we produce and fill the products to ensure that product is safe and within guidelines. We want to assure you that LA Colors Cosmetics is committed to upholding the highest standards of safety in all the cosmetics we distribute.”
*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.
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 LA Colors if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“After forwarding your inquiry to our Product Development they have confirmed that the mica we use area all FDA approved and are ethically mined and without forced/child labor.”
LA Colors claims their mica is FDA-approved and ethically mined without child labor but did not specifically address where their mica is sourced from and how they audit or trace to ensure no child labor was involved in mining their mica.
As far as I know, FDA-approved ingredients does not necessarily mean ethically sourced.
I hope this article helped you to understand LA Colors’ cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
