Is Laura Mercier Cruelty-Free? | Is Laura Mercier Vegan?

October 14, 2019May 3, 2020 4 min read

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Laura Mercier is a popular makeup and skincare brand, most known for their Translucent Loose Setting Powder, but is Laura Mercier cruelty-free?

Is Laura Mercier Cruelty-Free?

Laura Mercier’s animal testing policy and cruelty-free status are unclear.

For a couple of years now, I’ve been trying to get a straight answer from Laura Mercier of details of their animal testing policy, but unfortunately, they’ve been unresponsive and non-cooperative.

Here is what we know:

On their website, Laura Mercier claims they do not conduct animal testing on their products or ingredients, nor ask others to test on their behalf.

Below is a screenshot of what is currently stated on their website:

Laura Mercier Cruelty Free Claims (2019)

Laura Mercier’s animal testing statement on their website is a great start but I wanted to know a few more details about their policy, like if their suppliers test on animals and if they test on animals when required by law or if their products are sold in China?

Laura Mercier Claims to be “Cruelty-Free”

When I reached out to Laura Mercier specifically asking about their suppliers’ animal testing policy and if they sell in China or if they test on animals when required by law, they responded with “We are CRUELTY-FREE! We do not ship outside of the U.S.A.”

I was quite underwhelmed with their response because they had failed to address any of my specific questions. The issue with brands claiming to be “cruelty-free” is that there is currently no standard or legal definition for the term “cruelty-free”.

So, companies can use (and often times misuse) the label “cruelty-free” to mean whatever they want. This is why we try our best to ask for specific details about a brand’s animal testing policy to determine if they’re truly cruelty-free to our standards.

Is Laura Mercier Sold in China?

I did eventually receive confirmation that Laura Mercier products are not sold in-stores in mainland China or any other country that requires animal testing.

“Laura Mercier products are not sold in mainland China or any other country that requires animal testing.”

Now, that leaves us to our last question in verifying their cruelty-free status: Do Laura Mercier’s raw material suppliers test on animals?

Laura Mercier has failed to address whether their raw material suppliers test on animals and whether they verify to make sure the suppliers they choose to work with are also cruelty-free.

Animal testing for cosmetics doesn’t only apply to finished products. Ingredients and raw materials may have also been tested on animals. So it’s important that cruelty-free companies check to ensure their suppliers are not testing on animals and Laura Mercier has not addressed this yet.

Laura Mercier Not Certified Cruelty-Free

It should also be noted that Laura Mercier is not certified cruelty-free by any third party organizations like Leaping Bunny or PETA. So, no one else is looking into or verifying Laura Mercier’s cruelty-free claims but themselves.

To become certified cruelty-free by either PETA or Leaping Bunny, companies must ensure their suppliers abide by the same no animal testing policy. Leaping Bunny’s standards are more strict where companies have to submit documentation from their suppliers.

As conscious consumers, we are not asking much from Laura Mercier or requesting they break any confidentiality agreement they may have with their suppliers, all we are asking is if Laura Mercier is looking into their suppliers to ensure the materials and ingredients they buy from them are not tested on animals.

Verdict: Is Laura Mercier Cruelty-Free?

Because we were unable to receive any responses or clarifications about Laura Mercier’s suppliers’ animal testing policy, we are unable to classify Laura Mercier as cruelty-free or not, which is the reason why Laura Mercier is on our “Unclear Policies” list.