Tarte (Kose)

Last Updated: January 8, 2023

How Ethical Is Tarte (Kose)?

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 Tarte’s ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Tarte cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Tarte’s policies.
Tarte is *cruelty-free but Tarte is owned by Kose, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Not all of Tarte’’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Tarte claims they work with cooperatives in the rain forest to ensure their ingredients, like maracuja oil and Amazonian clay, are sustainably harvested.
It’s not clear where Tarte’s mica is mined or sourced from and how they trace or audit to ensure no child labor was involved.
Tarte’s products come in plastic packaging. I couldn’t find anything stating they’re working on reducing their use of virgin plastic in their product packaging.

About Tarte (Kose)

Tarte Cosmetics makeup, skincare & beauty products are made with high-performance naturals.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA, Europe, and other countries
PRODUCTS: Makeup, Makeup Brushes, Lashes, Skincare, Bath & Body Care
CERTIFICATIONS: PETA-Certified

Tarte (Kose)

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

Is Tarte Cruelty-Free?

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

Does Tarte Test on Animals?

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

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

*Tarte is owned by Kose, 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 Kose owns Tarte.

What is Tarte’s Animal Testing Policy?

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

Is Tarte Cruelty-Free?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Tarte 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 Tarte Certified Cruelty-Free?

Tarte is certified cruelty-free by PETA, but not Leaping Bunny.

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 Tarte Vegan?

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

The following is what’s currently stated on Tarte’s website about its vegan product offering:

Is Tarte Vegan?

How to know which of Tarte’s products are vegan?

All of Tarte’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. See below for an example.

Where to buy Tarte Cosmetics? Check out tartecosmetics.com, Sephora, Ulta, and on 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 Tarte’s products made?

When I asked Tarte Cosmetics where their products are manufactured, they told me:

“Our formulas and products are very important to us, so we work with respected suppliers and manufacturers in the US, Europe and other countries abroad who have strong expertise in beauty and packaging materials.”

I also noticed that some of their products state where they’re made in the product description on their website.

*Note: Cosmetics made in China are not required to be tested on animals. Only cosmetics that are imported and sold in physical stores in mainland China are required to be tested on animals according to China’s animal testing laws.

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

“Thanks for contacting tarte Customer Service. Our formulas and products are very important to us, so we work with respected suppliers and manufacturers in the US, Europe and other countries abroad who have strong expertise in beauty and packaging materials. These suppliers and manufacturers are audited to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain.

All ingredients and finished formulas tarte uses are tested and based on US FDA requirements before being imported or sold in the US. We only work with highly reputable laboratories and factories that meet the strictest GMP standards, which is an international grading scale for cleanliness and the environment for workers that abide by a strict code of standards.”

Tarte claims their suppliers and manufacturers are audited to prevent slavery and human trafficking in their supply chain. However, they didn’t specifically address the ethical sourcing of their mica and it’s not clear where Tarte sources their mica from.


I hope this article helped you to understand Tarte’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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What do you think

0 thoughts on “Tarte (Kose)”

  1. Do you know if the ‘overexposed’ highlighter set and ‘make magic happen’ eyeshadow palette are vegan? Thanks!

  2. Hello. Tell me please, the shadow palette of Tarte “Tearse” vegan? I can not find what ingredients in the eyeshadows indicate that it’s not vegans ??‍♀️ Thank you ??

  3. No,Tarte isn’t vegan.They have carmine in some of their eyeshadow palettes.Please go through their ingredients.

    1. You’re right.. Tarte isn’t a 100% vegan brand. They do use some animal ingredients in some of their makeup. But thankfully, they do offer SOME vegan options! and that’s the point of this list.. to help shoppers figure out which of Tarte’s products are considered vegan. If one of the products I’ve listed here isn’t vegan, I would be happy to look into it and remove it from this list. Please let me know which eyeshadow palette you’re referring to =)

  4. Hi Vicky,

    Tarte’s site and your list both state that the Amazonian clay waterproof bronzer is vegan, but carmine is listed as an ingredient. do you know why?

  5. Do you know if the sunless tanners from Tarte are vegan? I thought they were but I don’t see them on the list. The Brazilliance Plus is my favorite.

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