Schwarzkopf is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Schwarzkopf allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.

In addition, Schwarzkopf is owned by Henkel, a parent corporation that is NOT cruelty-free.

Schwarzkopf’s Animal Testing Policy

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

So I reached out to Schwarzkopf 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 Schwarzkopf responded by saying:

Based on their response, we now know that Henkel owns Schwarzkopf. And Schwarzkopf. has the same animal testing policy as Henkel. Both Henkel and Schwarzkopf state they don’t test their cosmetic products on animals but then state “some countries still test certain cosmetic products from our assortment on animals to obtain market registration.”

Policies stating, “some countries still test cosmetics to obtain market registration,” usually imply the company is selling its products in mainland China. That’s because cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by law to be tested on animals.

Is Schwarzkopf Sold in China?

In my research, I discovered that Schwarzkopf products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

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 Schwarzkopf 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 Schwarzkopf) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

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

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Schwarzkopf already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Schwarzkopf Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Schwarzkopf Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Schwarzkopf is owned by Henkel, 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, Schwarzkopf is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Henkel.

Is Schwarzkopf Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Schwarzkopf must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Schwarzkopf to be a cruelty-free brand.

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

Is Schwarzkopf Vegan?

Schwarzkopf does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Schwarzkopf engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Schwarzkopf to be vegan anyways.

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 Schwarzkopf

Looking to switch to cruelty-free hair products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• BRITE
• Aveda *owned by Estee Lauder
• Garnier *owned by L’Oreal
• CHI

Or check out our guide to Cruelty-Free & Vegan Hair Color Brands!