Is Laura Mercier Cruelty-Free?

☠️ Laura Mercier is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Laura Mercier allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Laura Mercier’s Animal Testing Policy

When asking, does Laura Mercier test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Laura Mercier’s ingredients or suppliers test on animals. And they don’t sell in any country or under conditions that may require animal testing by law.

To assess whether brands are cruelty-free, I always start with the company’s official animal testing policy on their website.

On Laura Mercier’s website, they claim the company does not test on animals or ask others to test on its behaf, except when required by law.

See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Laura Mercier’s website:

Policies stating, “except when required by law” usually imply the company distributes its products in countries that require animal testing, like mainland China.

Is Laura Mercier Sold in China?

In my research, I discovered that Laura Mercier products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

Below are a couple screenshots of Laura Mercier’s Chinese website and their store locator showing results in mainland China:

However, it’s not stated anywhere that Laura Mercier has taken any steps to meet the above preconditions in order to avoid animal testing while selling in China.

Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Laura Mercier) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2023.

Because Laura Mercier 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 2023.

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

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

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Cruelty-Free Policies

Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China under conditions where animal tests may be required. Unfortunately, Laura Mercier 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, or by any third parties, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Laura Mercier already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Laura Mercier Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

Since Laura Mercier is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Laura Mercier’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Laura Mercier Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Laura Mercier is owned by Shiseido, parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2023.

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, Laura Mercier is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, Shiseido.

Does Laura Mercier Test on Animals?

To wrap up, Laura Mercier allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, like when selling in China. Therefore, we would NOT consider Laura Mercier to be a cruelty-free brand.

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

Is Laura Mercier Vegan?

❌ Laura Mercier is NOT vegan. Laura Mercier does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Laura Mercier engages in animal testing in some capacity, we wouldn’t consider any Laura Mercier products vegan anyways.

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.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Laura Mercier

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• Westman Atelier
• Charlotte Tilbury *owned by Puig
• ILIA *owned by Clarins
• Fenty Beauty *owned by Kendo, LVMH
• Stila