Too Cool For School

Last Updated: February 25, 2024

How Ethical Is Too Cool For School?

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 Too Cool For School’s ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Too Cool For School cruelty-free or vegan? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Too Cool For School’s policies.
Too Cool For School is NOT Cruelty-Free. Too Cool For School engages in animal testing by allowing its products to be animal-tested.
Yes, Too Cool For School sells its products in stores in mainland China under conditions where animal testing is still legally required.
Too Cool For School claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Too Cool For School engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Too Cool For School to be vegan.

Too Cool For School

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Too Cool For School is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Too Cool For School allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.

Too Cool For School’s Animal Testing Policy

On Too Cool For School’s website, they claim they don’t perform any pre-market animal testing. However, the Chinese government requires a hygiene permit for any products entering the country and that requires animal tests.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Too Cool For School’s website:

Policies stating China’s animal testing laws 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 Too Cool For School Sold in China?

Yes, Too Cool For School is sold in stores in mainland China. As a result, Too Cool For School must consent and pay to have their products tested on animals.

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 Too Cool For School 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 Too Cool For School) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Too Cool For School 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 Too Cool For School 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 Too Cool For School 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, Too Cool For School 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 Too Cool For School already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Complete Cruelty-Free Checklist

Is Too Cool For School Certified Cruelty-Free?

Too Cool For School is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

Because Too Cool For School is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Too Cool For School’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Too Cool For School Cruelty-Free?

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

Currently, Too Cool For School is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Too Cool For School Vegan?

Too Cool For School claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because Too Cool For School engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t classify anything sold or produced by Too Cool For School to be vegan.

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 Too Cool For School

Looking to switch to cruelty-free brands? Here are some cruelty-free and vegan-friendly options that are similar to Too Cool For School:

and check out our list of Cruelty-Free K-Beauty Skincare and Makeup Brands!

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