Is Philosophy Cruelty-Free?

🐰 Philosophy is a *cruelty-free brand. None of Philosophy’s ingredients or products are tested on animals. Philosophy has met all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist and is included in our Cruelty-Free Directory.

Does Philosophy Test on Animals?

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

2023 Update! Philosophy is now Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free by Cruelty-Free International!

By meeting Leaping Bunny’s standards, Philosophy guarantees the following:

• ✓ Philosophy confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf.
• ✓ Philosophy confirmed all their ingredient suppliers do not test on animals
• ✓ Philosophy confirmed they do not allow or sell their products under conditions where animal testing is required by law

By becoming Leaping Bunny certified, Philosophy meets all of our Cruelty-Free Criteria. Therefore, Philosophy is a *cruelty-free brand by our standards.

*Philosophy is owned by Coty, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.

The decision is yours whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. Do what you’re comfortable with. I just thought it was important to disclose that Coty owns Philosophy.

What is Philosophy’s Animal Testing Policy?

At the time of writing this, Philosophy hasn’t updated its website yet.

Philosophy’s FAQ still states its old animal testing policy where it states the company does not test its products or ingredients except when required by law.

According to this article, it says beginning in April and rolling out in the fall, the brand will introduce philosophy’s new principles and new visual codes – including the distinctive Leaping Bunny logo – across its website, digital campaigns, and in store.

So, maybe it’s going to take some time for Philosophy to update their website with their new cruelty-free commitment and claims.

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

With the current changes to China’s animal testing laws, some cosmetics sold in China can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, without meeting those conditions, animal testing is still legally required for most cosmetics sold in China in 2023.

It’s not clear whether Philosophy is currently retailing its products in mainland China, under Leaping Bunny’s certification.

It’s my understanding that Philosophy opened its first freestanding store in Shanghai after its very successful launch on China’s largest online retailer, Tmall, back in 2017.

That’s why Philosophy was on our Brands to Avoid list.

Leaping Bunny-certified brands can now sell some products in China under its China Pilot Project or China Qualification Program. It’s not clear if Philosophy is part of these LB programs.

Is Philosophy Certified Cruelty-Free?

Philosophy is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.

Cruelty-Free Policies 2023

Just because a brand claims it is ‘Cruelty-Free,’ doesn’t always mean that’s the case.

That’s because 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.

How We Assess Cruelty-Free Policies

Since 2015, the start of my blog, I’ve been emailing companies asking about their animal testing policies and cruelty-free commitments.

And based on the responses I receive from companies, I’ll research to find any supporting facts needed before concluding whether the brand should be classified as “Cruelty-Free,” “Animal-Tested,” or “Grey Area – Unclear Policies.”

☕️ Every week, I continue to reach out to new brands while trying my best to keep current brands updated. If you found any of my posts or guides helpful, consider Buying Me A Coffee! I would greatly appreciate it! ❤️

What about Vegan?

Just because something is called Cruelty-Free, doesn’t always mean it’s Vegan. And vice versa.

Cruelty-Free only refers to no animal testing, while Vegan means formulated without animal products.

Some brands are Cruelty-Free, but not Vegan.

And some are Vegan, but not Cruelty-Free.

Another important distinction to know is, Vegan in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand is 100% Vegan or a specific product is Vegan.

Is Philosophy Vegan?

⭐️ Philosophy is NOT an entirely vegan brand. But Philosophy offers some vegan options that are free of animal products.

How to know which of Philosophy products are vegan?

All of Philosophy’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.

Where to buy Philosophy? Check out philosophy.com!

Vegan Policies

Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But Vegan is generally used to mean formulated without animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.

Some common animal products 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 unless a brand explicitly labels its ingredients or product as Vegan, it’s often 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 chose were from non-animal sources.

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I hope this article helped you to understand Philosophy’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!

If you found this helpful, consider Buying Me a Coffee. So that I can continue to keep this site running and updated.