Skin Inc

Last Updated: February 25, 2024

How Ethical Is Skin Inc?

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 Skin Inc.’s ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Skin Inc cruelty-free or vegan? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Skinc Inc’s policies.
Skin Inc is NOT Cruelty-Free. Skin Inc engages in animal testing by allowing its products to be animal-tested.
Yes, Skin Inc sells its products in stores in mainland China under conditions where animal testing is still legally required.
Skin Inc claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Skin Inc engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Skin Inc to be vegan.

Skin Inc

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Skin Inc is NOT Cruelty-Free!

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

Skin Inc.’s Animal Testing Policy

Skin Inc. claims on its website that they do not conduct any animal testing, however, this is not enough information for us to classify Skin Inc. or any other brand as being cruelty-free to our standards.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Skin Inc’s website:

Skin Inc’s statement that they don’t conduct animal testing is not enough information for us to determine the brand as being truly cruelty-free. Because animal testing for cosmetics can happen at various stages of product development, including at the ingredient level, and is often done by others and not the cosmetic company itself.

This is why 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.

So I reached out to Skin Inc to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test, not just their finished products but their ingredients, on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).

Thank you for your interest!

Kindly be advised that we do not conduct any testings on animals.

Again, this was not enough information for us to consider the brand as being cruelty-free. Notice how they keep saying “we” do not conduct any testing on animals. So, I responded back asking if they ask or allow others to test their products or ingredients on animals for them. Skin Inc responded,

“Skin Inc does not conduct any testing on animals during product development. Some of the local Regulatory authorities may conduct the testing themselves.”

Policies stating, “some local regulatory authorities may conduct the testing themselves”, 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 Skin Inc. Sold in China?

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

Below is a screenshot of Skin Inc. store locator showing results in mainland China, as well as, Sephora’s Chinese website listing several of Skin Inc’s products:

Skin Inc Supplement Bar Sold in China. Cannot Be Cruelty-Free!
Skin Inc Sold at China Sephora, therefore required to test on animals and NOT cruelty-free!

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

Because Skin Inc 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 Skin Inc. 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 Skin Inc 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, Skin Inc 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 Skin Inc already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Complete Cruelty-Free Checklist

Is Skin Inc Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Skin Inc Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Skin Inc Vegan?

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

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

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