The Outset

Last Updated: January 26, 2023

How Ethical Is The Outset?

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 The Outset's ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is The Outset cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on The Outset’s policies.
The Outset is cruelty-free. None of The Outset’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals anywhere in the world.
All of The Outset’s products are 100% vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
The Outset claims its committed to using sustainably-sourced and ethically-sourced ingredients. The Outset states it formulates with botanical extracts and oils combined with safe synthetics to help minimize its impact on the planet.

The Outset claims it incorporates recyclable glass bottles and post-consumer recycled plastic where possible. And low-waste refill pouches are available. The company also uses recyclable and FSC-Certified paper cartons and shippers that were made in a wind-powered and carbon-neutral facility.

Additionally, The Outset partnered with carbonfund.org to offset its CO2 emissions from its office operations and every order shipped.
The Outset’s product packaging is made from recyclable glass and/or post-consumer recycled plastic. The Outset also offers low-waste refill pouches.

About The Outset

Founded by Scarlett Johansson, The Outset offers clinically tested, effective skincare to simplify and elevate your everyday.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA
PRODUCTS: Skincare
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny

The Outset

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

Is The Outset Cruelty-Free?

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

Does The Outset Test on Animals?

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

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

What is The Outset’s Animal Testing Policy?

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

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

The Outset has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, The Outset 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 The Outset Certified Cruelty-Free?

The Outset is certified cruelty-free by 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 starting my blog in 2015, 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 The Outset Vegan?

⭐️ The Outset is a 100% vegan brand. All their products are vegan, and are formulated without any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

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

Where to buy The Outset? Check out Sephora!

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 The Outset’s products made?

I asked The Outset where their products are manufactured and they told me:

“In the USA!”


I hope this article helped you to understand The Outset’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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