MISSHA is NOT Cruelty-Free!

MISSHA allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.

MISSHA’s Animal Testing Policy

While researching to learn more about MISSHA’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.

So I reached out to MISSHA to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).

And MISSHA responded by saying:

“Thank you for contacting Missha US. Some of our products are and are not animals tested. Can you tell me if you are looking into certain products?“

Based on their response, MISSHA admits that some of their products are animal-tested and some are not.

When verifying a brand’s cruelty-free status, we look at the overall brand itself and whether they conduct, commission, or condone any form of animal testing on their finished products or ingredients.

So the fact that MISSHA admits that some of their products are tested on animals, whether that is 1% or 99% of their product line, we would not consider the MISSHA brand to be cruelty-free.

Is MISSHA Sold in China?

I also wanted to know whether MISSHA is sold in China. That’s because cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by law to be tested on animals.

And in my research, I discovered that MISSHA products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

Below is a couple of screenshots I took from MISSHA’s Chinese website clearly showing they have stores in mainland China selling their products:

But Doesn’t China No Longer Tests on Animals?

Companies can bypass China’s pre-market animal testing by choosing to manufacture their ordinary or general cosmetics in China, but it’s not stated anywhere that MISSHA has taken this route.

Additionally, the possibility of post-market animal testing is not completely ruled out and may be conducted on some cosmetics sold in physical stores in China.

As of May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies can also export and sell their ordinary or general cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet a set of preconditions first. However, meeting these conditions has proven difficult, and it’s still unclear what exactly is accepted according to the new regulations. So there’s no word yet of any company that has successfully done so.

Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like MISSHA) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because MISSHA 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 2022.

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

Cruelty-Free Policies

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, and by any third parties, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since MISSHA admits that some of their products are tested on animals, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is MISSHA Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

Because MISSHA is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating MISSHA’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is MISSHA Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, MISSHA admits some of its products are tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider MISSHA to be a cruelty-free brand.

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

Is MISSHA Vegan?

MISSHA claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because MISSHA engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by MISSHA to be vegan.

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 MISSHA

Looking to switch to cruelty-free brands? Here are some cruelty-free and vegan-friendly options that are similar to MISSHA:

• TONYMOLY – some vegan options
• Bliss – some vegan options
• Fourth Ray Beauty – 100% Vegan
• Versed – 100% Vegan
• The Inkey List – some vegan options

or check out our guide to affordable cruelty-free & vegan skincare products!