Sun Bum (SC Johnson)

Last Updated: January 16, 2023

How Ethical Is Sun Bum (SC Johnson)?

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 Sun Bum's ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Sun Bum cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Sun Bum’s policies.
Sun Bum is cruelty-free, but Sun Bum is owned by SC Johnson, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Not all of Sun Bum’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Sun Bum claims to use FSC-Certified, post-consumer recycled paper for their outer packaging and shipping materials. The company also claims to use PCR material but it’s not clear from their website which product packaging is made of PCR material or at what percentage.
Sun Bum claims their mica is ethically sourced without child labor. See their ethical mica mining policy here.
Sun Bum products come in recyclable plastic packaging. Sun Bum claims to use some PCR material.

About Sun Bum (SC Johnson)

Since 2010, Sun Bum has been making products to protect our friends and families from the sun.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA
PRODUCTS: Sun Care, Skincare, Hair Care
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny, PETA-Certified

Sun Bum (SC Johnson)

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

Is Sun Bum Cruelty-Free?

🐰 Sun Bum is a *cruelty-free brand. None of Sun Bum’s ingredients or products are tested on animals. Sun Bum has met all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist and is included in our Cruelty-Free Directory.

Does Sun Bum Test on Animals?

When asking, does Sun Bum test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Sun Bum’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:

  • ✓ Sun Bum confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf.
  • ✓ Sun Bum confirmed all their ingredient suppliers do not test on animals
  • ✓ Sun Bum 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, Sun Bum is a *cruelty-free brand by our standards.

*Sun Bum is owned by SC Johnson, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.

The decision is yours whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. Do what you’re comfortable with. I just thought it was important to disclose that SC Johnson owns Sun Bum.

What is Sun Bum’s Animal Testing Policy?

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Sun Bum’s website about its animal testing policy:

Is Sun Bum Cruelty-Free?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Sun Bum has confirmed they only sell their products in Hong Kong and not 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 Sun Bum Certified Cruelty-Free?

Sun Bum is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and PETA.

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 Sun Bum Vegan?

⭐️ Sun Bum is NOT an entirely vegan brand. But Sun Bum offers some vegan options that are free of animal products.

How to know which of Sun Bum’s products are vegan?

All of Sun Bum’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Sun Bum’s website about its vegan claims:

Is Sun Bum Vegan?

Where to buy Sun Bum? Check out Ulta, Target, 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.

Where are Sun Bum’s products made?

Sun Bum states on its website,

Where are your products made?
Sun Bum ® products are made, tested, and filled in the USA.”

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 Sun Bum if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“Thank you so much for reaching out to us about this issue. We want to assure you that all of our ingredients, including the Mica we use in our Skincare Products, are ethically and responsibly sourced. We also strictly enforce the utilization of ethical and responsible suppliers and manufacturing partners worldwide.”


I hope this article helped you to understand Sun Bum’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!

If you found this helpful, consider Buying Me a Coffee. So that I can continue to keep this site running and updated.

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