Rimmel (Coty)

Last Updated: January 26, 2023

How Ethical Is Rimmel (Coty)?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here's a summary of Rimmel's ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Rimmel cruelty-free or vegan? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Rimmel’s policies.
Rimmel is *cruelty-free, but Rimmel is owned by Coty, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Rimmel does not sell its products in stores in mainland China anymore.
Not all of Rimmel’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Rimmel’s ‘clean’ makeup range, Kind & Free claims to be “kind to the planet, kind to people, kind to animals, and kind to skin.” Their Kind & Free range contains natural origin ingredients and the packaging contains a percentage of recycled materials.
When asked if Rimmel’s mica is sourced ethically without child labor, Rimmel responded back with Coty’s ethical mica mining policy. Coty is part of the Responsible Mica Initiative. See their ethical mica mining policy here.
Rimmel’s products come in plastic packaging. Their Kind & Free collection claims to be made with a percentage of recycled plastic, the amount varies by product. Rimmel also claims by 2025, they aim to have 100% of their packaging to be recycled material or be recyclable, reusable, or compostable.

About Rimmel (Coty)

Express yourself and your individuality with Rimmel London makeup, offering a spectrum of products and shades that helps you achieve the latest looks and trends with ease.
COMPANY BASED IN: UK
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA, Europe
PRODUCTS: Makeup, Nail Polish
CERTIFICATIONS: Cruelty Free International

Rimmel (Coty)

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Is Rimmel Cruelty-Free?

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

Does Rimmel Test on Animals?

When asking, does Rimmel test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Rimmel’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.

In our research, we discovered the following:

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

By meeting all of our Cruelty-Free Criteria, Rimmel is a *cruelty-free brand by our standards.

*Rimmel 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 Rimmel.

What is Rimmel’s Animal Testing Policy?

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Rimmel’s website about its animal testing policy:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Rimmel has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

“Rimmel is not sold in any countries or areas where the testing of cosmetic products on animals is required.”

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.

Is Rimmel Certified Cruelty-Free?

Rimmel 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 Rimmel Vegan?

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

How to know which of Rimmel’s products are vegan?

At this time, Rimmel claims its Kind & Free collection is 100% vegan.

“The Kind & Free range is 100% vegan. The formulas contain no ingredients derived from animals, including anything that is a by-product from animals, like beeswax or honey.”

Where to buy Rimmel? Check out Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Boots, Superdrug, London Drugs, and on Amazon!

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.

Where are Rimmel’s products made?

I asked Rimmel where their products are manufactured and they told me:

“Rimmel London cosmetics are manufactured in the United States as well as in Europe. We hope this helps!”

Ethical Mica Mining Policy

Mica is a mineral used in cosmetics to add a shimmery effect. But the mining of natural mica has been linked to child labor and human rights violations.

Unless the company discloses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.

So I asked Rimmel if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating Coty’s ethical mica mining policy:

“Thank you for contacting COTY INC regarding our Rimmel Cosmetics Portfolio. We sincerely appreciate your interest in our exciting designer, celebrity and lifestyle brands. We are happy to help you.

We are aware of instances of child labour and unacceptable working conditions in this region in India as highlighted in programming in the UK.

We thank you for your comments and sharing with us how upsetting this is to you. We agree.

Coty has been working, as part of the Responsible Mica Initiative, with our suppliers, as well as competitors to address these complex issues with the aim of eradicating child labor and unacceptable working conditions in Indian mica supply within the next five years.

Please visit http://www.responsible-mica-initiative.com to learn more and let your feelings be known directly to the initiative.”


I hope this article helped you to understand Rimmel’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.

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What do you think

23 thoughts on “Rimmel (Coty)”

  1. “It is common knowledge that China is currently the only country that requires mandatory animal tests on all cosmetic products imported into the country. However, we have been actively involved in the dialogue with the Chinese authorities and regulators, including through our membership to the China Association of Fragrance Flavor and Cosmetic Industries (CAFFCI). As a result, China has recently started to investigate ways to replace animal testing and has sought the assistance of European scientists.

    The common goal of all these efforts is our aim to completely replace animal testing.”

    This is what it says now, in 2017, on Rimmel’s website – I thought I’d post it here as I was researching them and your post came almost top of the list! So at least we know that Rimmel are trying to improve and soon we may be able to use their products again 🙂

  2. There are many ethical alternatives- use them instead.
    Years ago I stopped using L’Oreal when I became aware, and now I research their animal testing policies before I am lured into trying a new product.
    I buy from QVC and have suggested that they tell us when a product is cruelty-free. Of course they won’t as then we would know who the bad guys are.

    1. I’m doing the same – I have narrowed my cosmetics-buying choices to a relatively few companies, like Milani/Jordana, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Stila, Makeup Geek, Palladio, etc.
      It’s something of a hassle, but 100% worth it!
      I’ve been an ardent animal lover/respecter since I was a child, and months spent in the hospital as an adult really solidified my determination to do anything and everything within my power to spare fellow creatures from suffering.
      As much as I love make-up, it comes at least second to me.

      1. Absolutely! I belong to Physicians for Responsible Medicine, they are trying to end animal testing in medicine as well, since there are alternatives. Helping to keep animals safe free from abuse of any kind, has always been extremely important to me. I am so disgusted that there are so many makeup brands that still test on animals, because they want to do business with China.

  3. I’ve never bought even a single Rimmel item, and the Rimmel lipstick I was considering buying is now permanently no longer under consideration.
    I don’t buy from animal-testers.
    Period.
    MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Prescriptives, Avon/mark, and Revlon/Almay lost me as a customer when they started selling in China.
    I just will not give them money!

    1. I am so with you Carla! I am furious because I thought Rimmel was a cruelty free brand! There is absolutely no excuse for animal testing of any kind…..especially for cosmetics!

  4. Camille Etheridge

    People seem to think that less expensive means poor quality. I use a lot of Wet and Wild products and they are really good. They are also cruelty free. I also use Hard Candy, ELF, Physicians Formula cosmetics and Shea Moisture and Palmers lotions and soaps. I am trying to eliminate all house hold and skin care products that are tested on animals. I like the Mrs. Meyers products a lot…the 7th Generation seems to irritate my skin. If anyone has any others that they would like to let me know about, it would be greatly appreciated.

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