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Is Stila Cruelty-Free?
🐰 Stila is a cruelty-free brand. None of Stila’s ingredients or products are tested on animals. Stila has met all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist and is included in our Cruelty-Free Directory.
Does Stila Test on Animals?
When asking, does Stila test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Stila’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:
- ✓ Stila confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf.
- ✓ Stila confirmed all their ingredient suppliers do not test on animals
- ✓ Stila 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, Stila is a truly cruelty-free brand by our standards.
What is Stila’s Animal Testing Policy?
Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Stila’s website about its animal testing policy:
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Stila has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
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 Stila Certified Cruelty-Free?
Stila is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and PETA.
Who Owns Stila Cosmetics?
Stila Cosmetics was previously acquired and owned by Estee Lauder but in 2006, they sold Stila to Stila Corp., an affiliate of Sun Capital (a private equity firm). Then later on in 2009, Stila was sold to Patriarch Partners, a New York-based private equity company.
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 Stila Vegan?
⭐️ Stila is NOT an entirely vegan brand. But Stila offers some vegan options that are free of animal products.
How to know which of Stila’s products are vegan?
All of Stila’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. Or check out Stila’s vegan product page here https://www.stilacosmetics.com/collections/vegan-products
The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Stila’s website about its vegan claims:
Where to buy Stila? Check out stilacosmetics.com, Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, and 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.
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 Stila if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“All of Stila’s suppliers sign a Supplier Code of Conduct that applies to all facilities that produce any type of good (finished goods, components, supplies, materials) for Stila and is applicable to contractors, contract manufacturers, and suppliers of Stila. The Supplier Code of Conduct sets forth basic requirements that all production facilities must meet in order to conduct business with Stila, including legal and ethical business practices, child labor, forced labor, wages and benefits, environmental responsibility, etc. Stila also requires its suppliers to be committed to the sourcing of raw materials, goods and services with the same fundamental support of human rights, labor, health and safety, environment, and ethics as outlined in this Code of Conduct. Stila approved suppliers will require adherence to this Supplier Code of Conduct from their direct suppliers and verify that this guidance is being adhered to within their supply chains.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Stila’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
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