Tom Ford is NOT Cruelty-Free!

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

In addition, Tom Ford Beauty is owned by Estee Lauder, a parent corporation that is NOT cruelty-free.

Tom Ford Beauty’s Animal Testing Policy

While researching to learn more about Tom Ford Beauty’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.

So I reached out to Tom Ford Beauty to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).

And Tom Ford Beauty responded by saying:

“Thank you for your interest in Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford does not test on animals and we never ask others to do so on our behalf. If a regulatory body demands it for its safety or regulatory assessment, an exception can be made. Our consumers can be certain that we are committed to producing only the highest quality beauty products which meet our exacting efficacy, safety and ethical standards

OUR COMMITMENT

We have a deep commitment to the abolishment of animal testing. Decades ago we were one of the first beauty companies to prove that safety can be validated by means other than animal testing. We continue that commitment today with likeminded partners that share our goal to support the acceptance of alternatives

We will continue to work in close partnership with industry, government and non-profit groups in countries that require animal testing to work together towards the elimination of this practice and the global acceptance of non-animal testing methods.”

Based on the response I received from Tom Ford Beauty, the company admits to allowing its products to be tested on animals if a regulatory body demands it for its safety or regulatory assessment.

Policies stating, “unless required 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 Tom Ford Beauty Sold in China?

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

Below is a screenshot of Tom Ford Beauty 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 Tom Ford Beauty 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 Tom Ford Beauty) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

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

Is Tom Ford Beauty Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Tom Ford Beauty Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Tom Ford Beauty is owned by Estee Lauder, 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, Tom Ford Beauty is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Estee Lauder.

Is Tom Ford Beauty Cruelty-Free?

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

Currently, Tom Ford Beauty is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Tom Ford Beauty Vegan?

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

“While we do not make a vegan claim in our products, many of our products do not contain animal ingredients. For more information, please specify the exact name of the product you use or are interested in using.“

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 Tom Ford

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

• KVD Vegan Beauty *owned by Kendo, LVMH – 100% Vegan
• Hourglass *owned by Unilever – some vegan options
• Koh Gen Do – some vegan options
• Urban Decay *owned by L’Oreal – some vegan options

Or check out our list of High-End Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands!