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SKKN is NOT Cruelty-Free!
SKKN BY KIM has the same animal testing policy as its parent company, Coty. Both state they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law.
SKKN’s Animal Testing Policy
SKKN claims on its website that their products are “cruelty-free”, however, this is not enough information for us to classify SKKN or any other brand as being cruelty-free to our standards.
See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on SKKN’s website:
Cruelty-Free Policies
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.
So I reached out to SKKN 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 SKKN responded by saying:
“Thank you for contacting SKKN BY KIM.
At Coty, we do not test our products on animals and are committed to ending animal testing across our industry.
All our products are safe and have been developed, manufactured, and packaged in compliance with the laws, regulations, and guidelines that are applicable in each country in which they are sold.
Coty’s human safety experts review our ingredients, as well as the finished products, by applying the best science, based on the use of recognized alternatives to animal testing, existing safety data, and, increasingly, the sharing of such data with other parties and industries.
Some governments or agencies stipulate the testing of finished products on animals in accordance with local legal and regulatory requirements. An example is China, where we continue to be involved in the dialogue with the Chinese authorities, including through our active membership of industry groups, to find alternatives to their use of animal testing.”
Based on SKKN’s response, we now know that Coty owns SKKN BY KIM. And SKKN has the same animal testing policy as Coty where both state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals by some governments that require it.
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.
For example, imported cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by Chinese laws to be tested on animals upon registration. Therefore, truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China in order to remain committed to their no animal testing policy.
Unfortunately, SKKN and Coty state they will allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals if the law requires it. For those reasons, SKKN is NOT cruelty-free.
Is SKKN BY KIM Certified Cruelty-Free?
SKKN BY KIM is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Because SKKN is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating SKKN’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is SKKN Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. SKKN BY KIM is owned by Coty, 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, SKKN is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Coty.
Is SKKN Cruelty-Free?
To sum up, SKKN has the same animal testing policy as Coty where both state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals by some governments that may require it. Therefore, we would NOT consider SKKN BY KIM to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, SKKN BY KIM is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is SKKN Vegan?
SKKN BY KIM claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because SKKN engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by SKKN 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 SKKN BY KIM
Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free celebrity brands to check out:
