Maybelline is a major American makeup and cosmetic brand sold worldwide and we wanted to know, Is Maybelline Cruelty Free in 2019?
Is Maybelline Cruelty Free?
Maybelline is not cruelty-free in 2019; Maybelline products are sold in mainland China and are required by law to be tested on animals in 2019.
It should also be noted that Maybelline is owned by L’Oreal, a parent corporation that does
Maybelline Animal Testing Policy (2019)
Maybelline states on its website that Maybelline is a subsidiary brand of L’Oreal and then proceeds to tell us about L’Oreal’s animal testing policy stating, “LβOrΓ©al no longer tests any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world nor does LβOrΓ©al delegate this task to others. An exception could only be made if regulatory authorities demanded it for safety or regulatory purposes.”
Below is a screenshot of what appears on Maybelline’s website:
Based on their website, Maybelline has the same animal testing policy as L’Oreal and what is concerning about their policy is the part I highlighted, “An exception could only be made if regulatory authorities demanded it for safety or regulatory purposes.”
This disclaimer implies that Maybelline may be selling its products in mainland China where animal testing is required by law for all imported cosmetics.
So this led us to ask, is Maybelline selling in China?
Maybelline Sold in China?
I found evidence that Maybelline products are indeed sold in China through the maybellinechina.com website. Below is a screenshot taken from their Chinese website.
Because of Maybelline and L’Oreal’s decision to sell their products in China, they must consent and pay to have the local Chinese authorities test their products on animals before they’re allowed to sell in their country.
Although Maybelline and L’Oreal may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, but they are allowing and paying Chinese officials to do it for them.
Unfortunately, we would not consider Maybelline to be cruelty-free because their products are sold in mainland China and are required by law to be tested on animals.
Many cruelty-free cosmetic brands, like Milani, ELF, and Physicians Formula, have chosen not to sell in China because of their animal testing requirements, why can’t Maybelline do the same?
Is Maybelline Vegan?
Since we do not consider Maybelline to be cruelty-free, we also would not consider any products produced or manufactured by Maybelline to be vegan to our standards.
In order for products to be considered vegan by ethical elephant’s standards, the products and its ingredients must not be tested on animals, anywhere in the world and also must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
Cruelty-Free Alternatives:
Looking for a cruelty-free alternative to Maybelline? We recommend the following cruelty-free affordable, drugstore makeup brands:
- ELF Cosmetics – 100% Vegan
- Physicians Formula
- Milani
- NYX Cosmetics (owned by L’Oreal)
- Essence
ieasha
October 15, 2019will never use their product again and will spread the word to everyone else to hear about it after reading this, cant believe it so disgusting and disappointed. they should banned selling it to china for animal testing. i will put an end to this because no animal deserves to be treated like this just so cruel
Betty Brandt
August 22, 2019Yesssh, can’t believe I have their mascara in my drawer! Tossing it in the garbage where it belongs never to buy that brand again. Animal testing is cruel and ineffective as animals have ONE skin type and these companies only test so as not to be sued! Investing in clean beauty products now and for the future for body and home which have healthy ingredients and not a bunch of chemicals! Younger generation needs to stand up against big industry and stop buying products that are harsh enough to have to be tested on animals. Harsh enough to run cruel tests on animals, waaaaaay too harsh for my skin! My whole house is going chemical free and cruelty free!
Olivia
December 23, 2017So disappointed, will not be using any of their products. There is evidence where rabbits have been tested, and while “nothing happened to them” – people came out with reactions, maybe because, ahem RABBITS ARE NOT HUMANS.
THERE IS NO RATIONAL FOR TESTING ANIMALS. China won’t even treat its people right – SO WHY WOULD THEY CONSIDER VOICELESS INNOCENT CREATURES
ALL ABOUT THE BUSINESS – NO ETHICS- I’M DONE
Magenta Blue
March 30, 2017That awkward moment when you don’t care about animal testing and will continue to support these brands π
Britt S.
April 1, 2017That awkward moment when your true colors come out (pun intended) and everyone knows you’re heartless and only care about yourself π
p.s. maybe you’d care if someone forcibly held your eyes open and put potentially blinding chemicals in them (Draize test), or maybe when they shove chemicals down your throat to see if they’re dealy (LD50)
Frankie
March 19, 2017I will Not Buy a your Products any more Do Not Belive you should not test on ANIMALS! !!!!!!!!!! TRY TESTING ON YOUR SELF IF YOUR BELIVE IN YOR PRODUCTS
Inga Amirkhanian
November 9, 2016I did ask L’Oreal about their animal testing policy and this is the answer I got from them:
August 9, 2016
Dear Inga,
Thank you for your interest in Giorgio Armani Beauty a brand of The L’OrΓ©al Group.
LβOrΓ©al no longer tests any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world nor does LβOrΓ©al delegate this task to others. An exception could only be made if regulatory authorities demanded it for safety or regulatory purposes.
For complete information on this subject, please click here .
Best regards,
catherineoshea
Catherine
Consumer Care Center
Ref. # 01368696
Zaty
November 3, 2016Do you know if the ingredient glycerin in their product, is animal based or plant based?
Olivia Raso
August 23, 2016Hi! Not sure how old this article is, but after looking on Maybelline and L’Oreal’s websites, it states that L’Oreal no longer tests on animals. Maybelline just says there is no animal testing, but L’Oreal’s statement goes more in depth as to why they don’t have the bunny symbol on their products etc. (This comment is mostly for people like myself who found this article trying to become cruelty-free.)
Vicky Ly
August 23, 2016Hi there!
I try my best to keep all of my posts updated and sadly, Maybelline’s and L”oreal’s animal testing policy remains the same and that is, they DO test on animals “when required by law”
I just checked L’Oreal’s website and they state “The Group no longer tests on animal, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others. An exception could be made if regulatory authorities required it for safety or regulatory purposes.” –and that last sentence is what matters most.
L’Oreal DOES test on animals, mostly because their products are SOLD in China where animal testing is required by law.
They even say so on L’Oreal website “In China, the regulatory authorities carry out within their evaluation centers animal tests for finished cosmetics products before these are placed on their market. We think these tests are unnecessary but we cannot prevent them.”
This means that L’Oreal (and also Maybelline) must pay the Chinese government to test their own products on animals in order to sell in China.
There is one simple way L’Oreal can “prevent” these animal tests in the first place, and that is simply by choosing NOT to sell in mainland China. Lots of brands have decided to not sell in China for this very reason including brands like Urban Decay and Too Faced. So why can’t L’Oreal and Maybelline do the same? =)
I know it can be super tricky but we all gotta be careful when brands say they don’t test on animals “except when required by law”. Which means that they actually DO test on animals!
I appreciate your research though! It’s too bad that these brands aren’t cruelty-free =( but keep up your journey on going cruelty-free! it gets easier to understand who is truly cruelty-free or not with more practice, I promise! =)
Olivia Raso
August 23, 2016Thanks for the reply, I was just watching some videos and that was cleared up for me. I didn’t realize what the new Chinese law actually entailed. But I’m going to do my best to be cruelty-free!
Sisi Arub
August 7, 2016I believe that L’Oreal and Maybelline are affiliated brands, which would explain why Maybelline comments on L’Oreal’s testing procedures. This would be because Maybelline is a subsidiary of L’Oreal
Vicky Ly
August 8, 2016Yup! You’re absolutely right, L’Oreal owns the brand, Maybelline!
However many cruelty-free brands that are owned by a parent company that tests on animals sometimes have their own policy regarding the issue of animal testing.
For example, Urban Decay and NYX cosmetics are both beauty brands that are also owned by L’Oreal. However their animal testing policy reads very differently than Maybelline’s.
Here is Urban Decay’s statement:
“Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to ending animal testing. We do not test our products on animals, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf. Additionally, we require our suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are not tested on animals. Our Brand is certified by both PETA and The Leaping Bunny Program (CCIC) as cruelty-free.”
But at the same time, some cruelty-free consumers choose NOT to support cruelty-free brands that are owned by a parent company that tests on animals as they feel their money will be supporting the parent company.
So going back to your comment, some cruelty-free brands like Urban Decay have promised that their products/ingredients are NOT tested on animals and that they refuse to sell in mainland China where animal testing is required, REGARDLESS of the fact that they’re owned by L’Oreal.
Sadly, Maybelline can’t make the same promises =( I’m hoping one day, all of L’Oreal brands will become cruelty-free in the future!
Nadia
October 2, 2017Its so sad that L’OrΓ©al had now purchased Urban Decay and NYX.Cruelty free brands are selling out and I think its disgusting.why don’t they test the makeup on criminals in prison that rape and kill.Humans can be so disappointing. My heart broke when these two beams sold out.Lit cosmetics have now also being purchased.
Nadia
October 2, 2017What is your take Vicky.Would you still use Nyx and UD?