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Is Takami Cruelty-Free?
☠️ Takami is NOT cruelty-free in 2023. Takami allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, including when selling in stores in mainland China.
Takami’s Animal Testing Policy
When asking, does Takami test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of Takami’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.
To assess whether brands are cruelty-free, I always start with the company’s official animal testing policy on their website.
However, I couldn’t find Takami’s animal testing statement anywhere on its website.
So I reached out to Takami to ask for more information. 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 mainland China).
“Takami which is part of the L’Oréal Group follows the Group position on animal testing.
At L’Oréal, we care for animal welfare and do not test any of our products or ingredients on animals.
This applies to all our brands. To know more about our commitment for beauty with no animal testing,
you can visit our dedicated webpage:
https://www.loreal.com/en/commitments-and-responsibilities/for-the-planet/for-beauty-with-no-animal-testing/”
Based on their response, Takami has the same animal testing policy as L’Oreal. But what’s not included in Takami’s email response is L’Oreal’s full animal testing policy, which also includes the following statement:
“Certain health authorities may nevertheless decide to conduct animal tests themselves for certain cosmetic products, as it is still the case in China. L’Oréal is the most active company working alongside the Chinese authorities and scientists for over 10 years to have alternative testing methods recognized, and permit the cosmetic regulation to evolve towards a total and definite elimination of animal testing. Thanks to this, since 2014, certain products manufactured and sold in China like shampoo, body wash or certain make-up products are no longer tested on animals.”
Since Takami has the same animal testing policy as L’Oreal, where both state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals by certain health authorities that require it, L’Oreal and Takami are NOT cruelty-free.
Is Takami Sold in China?
According to this article, Takami has several stores in mainland China.
But Doesn’t China No Longer Test on Animals?
With the recent changes to China’s animal testing laws, cosmetic companies can now export and sell some of their cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet ALL of the following preconditions first.
- ONLY sell ‘general’ cosmetics (like makeup, skincare, haircare, nail polish, and perfumes)
- must NOT sell any ‘special’ cosmetics like sunscreens, hair dye, hair perming, or other cosmetics claiming new efficacy
- must NOT sell products designed for infants or children
- must NOT sell products that contain a ‘New Cosmetic Ingredient’
- AND if post-market testing is required, then the company must have a policy in place where it will RECALL its products rather than allow its products to be tested on animals
Also, products must meet ONE of the following in order to avoid animal testing in China:
- manufactured in China, or the final assembly is in China
- if manufactured outside of China and then exported to China, companies must obtain the proper product safety certificates and documents
However, it’s not stated anywhere that Takami has taken any steps to meet the above preconditions in order to avoid animal testing while selling in China.
Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Takami) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2023.
Because Takami 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 2023.
Although Takami may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals in order to sell in China.
For those reasons, we would not consider Takami to be cruelty-free by our standards.
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Cruelty-Free Policies
Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China under conditions where animal tests may be required. Unfortunately, Takami 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 Takami already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is Takami Certified Cruelty-Free?
Takami is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Since Takami is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing Takami’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Takami Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. Takami is owned by L’Oreal, a parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2023.
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, Takami is NOT cruelty-free, and neither is its parent corporation, L’Oreal.
Does Takami Test on Animals?
To wrap up, Takami allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law, like when selling in China. Therefore, we would NOT consider Takami to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Takami is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Takami Vegan?
❌ Takami is NOT vegan. Takami does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Takami engages in animal testing in some capacity, we wouldn’t consider any Takami products 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.
