Sulwhasoo is NOT Cruelty-Free!

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

In addition, Sulwhasoo is owned by Amorepacific Group, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.

Sulwhasoo’s Animal Testing Policy

On Sulwhasoo’s website, they state their parent company, Amorepacific’s animal testing policy. Amorepacific claims the products they sell in North America are not tested on animals. However, in some other markets where they sell their products, animal testing is required by law.

See below for a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Sulwhasoo’s website:

Policies stating “some markets require animal testing by law” 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 Sulwhasoo Sold in China?

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

Below is a screenshot of Sulwhasoo’s Chinese website and online store locator showing results 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 Sulwhasoo 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 Sulwhasoo) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

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

Is Sulwhasoo Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

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

Yes. Sulwhasoo is owned by Amrepacific, 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, Sulwhasoo is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Amorepacific.

Is Sulwhasoo Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Sulwhasoo Vegan?

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

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

• Glow Recipe
• KYPRIS – 100% Vegan
• Tatcha *owned by Unilever
• Drunk Elephant *owned by Shiseido
• Sunday Riley

or check out our list of Luxury Vegan Skincare Brands!