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Pony Effect is NOT Cruelty-Free!
Pony Effect allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.
Pony Effect’s Animal Testing Policy
Pony Effect is owned by MBX and when I emailed MBX to ask them about their animal testing policy, they responded by saying,
“Thank you for your question. At MBX, the health and safety of our customers has always been our top priority. It is also very important to us that we support the safety and protection of animals.
MBX does not test any of our products on animals and does not own any animal testing facilities.
Since we love our fans and never want to exclude them anywhere, I’M Meme and Pony Effect products are sold globally, including China. Some customers have expressed their concern regarding animal testing in China since China requires all imported cosmetic products to be tested by the Chinese government in certified laboratories to demonstrate product safety before allowing them to be available for sale.
Please note, however, that Kaja and I Dew Care have never been marketed in China, which means these brands have never been tested on animals by any authorities, even by the Chinese government.”
Based on the response I received from MBX, the company admits to selling Pony Effect products in China and allowing the Chinese government to test their products on animals.
Truly cruelty-free brands will never allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals. Cruelty-free companies have a policy where if the law requires them to test on animals then they will refuse to sell their products under those conditions.
Unfortunately, MBX and Pony Effect state they allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals when selling in China. For those reasons, Pony Effect is NOT cruelty-free.
Is Pony Effect Sold in China?
Pony Effect confirmed their products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.
But Doesn’t China No Longer Test 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 Pony Effect 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 Pony Effect) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.
Because Pony Effect 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 Pony Effect may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals to sell in China.
For those reasons, we would not consider Pony Effect to be cruelty-free by our standards.
Cruelty-Free Policies
Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China because of its animal testing laws. Unfortunately, Pony Effect 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 Pony Effect already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is Pony Effect Certified Cruelty-Free?
Pony Effect is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Because Pony Effect is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Pony Effect’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Pony Effect Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. Pony Effect is owned by MBX, a parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2022.
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, Pony Effect is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, MBX.
Is Pony Effect Cruelty-Free?
To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Pony Effect must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Pony Effect to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Pony Effect is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Pony Effect Vegan?
Pony Effect claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Pony Effect engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Pony Effect 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 Pony Effect
Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:
Or check out our guide to Cruelty-Free & Vegan K-Beauty Brands!
