Younique

Last Updated: May 23, 2021

How Ethical Is Younique?

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 Younique's ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Younique cruelty-free or vegan? Here’s what we know! Read below for more details on Younique’s policies.
It is currently unclear whether Younique is truly cruelty-free as they were unable to clarify whether their ingredient suppliers are cruelty-free as well.
Younique only sells its products in Hong Kong but not in mainland China.
Because Younique’s cruelty-free status is unclear, we would not consider any of their products vegan at this time.

About Younique

Younique is an American multi-level marketing company that markets beauty products.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
CERTIFICATIONS: N/A

Younique

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Is Younique Cruelty-Free?

In this post, I’ll be addressing Younique’s animal testing policy and whether Younique should be considered a cruelty-free brand or not in 2021.

Younique’s Animal Testing Policy

It looks like Younique has updated its animal testing statement in 2021. Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on their website under each product page.

Based on this statement, Younique claims their formulas are not tested on animals by them or their manufacturers. And they strive to work with third-party manufacturers who share these same values.

However, this is not enough information for us to consider Younique to be cruelty-free so I emailed to ask if they vet and ensure all of their suppliers don’t test on animals? And if Younique is sold in China where animal testing is required for most imported cosmetics in 2021.

Is Younique Sold in China?

When asked if Younique is sold in China where animal testing is required for some cosmetics, they told me:

We are currently open in Hong Kong where we are not required to test our products on animals.

This is true. Cosmetics sold in Hong Kong are not required to be tested on animals. That’s because Hong Kong is not part of mainland China. And they don’t have the same animal testing laws as mainland China.

As long as Younique is selling in Hong Kong only, then they are not required to test on animals according to China’s regulations.

Read Also: What’s Going On With China’s Animal Testing Laws in 2021

Younique’s Cruelty-Free Policy Analyzed

Animal testing for cosmetics can happen at various stages of product development and manufacturing. We don’t just look into whether the finished product or formula was tested on animals, but we need to make sure the ingredients and their suppliers aren’t testing on animals either.

So when I asked if Younique requires all of their suppliers to abide by their no animal testing policy, they informed me:

Please be aware we perform regular audits on all of our suppliers, which includes a review of processes and procedures, an assurance from them that responsible and ethical manufacturing practices are being followed, and an evaluation of the working conditions of their employees. Those same basic audits are performed by our suppliers on their raw material suppliers, and we review the documentation of those audits. If any potential issue were to arise during the audits that is unable to be addressed and resolved to our satisfaction, we would explore moving the business to a different supplier.

It’s great to know that Younique performs regular audits with all of their suppliers but what concerns me is their overuse of vague statements and general claims.

Younique claims they have assurance from their suppliers that “responsible” and “ethical” manufacturing practices are being followed. These two terms are subjective and can mean different things to different people. So it doesn’t rule out whether their suppliers may be testing on animals.

I tried asking if those “ethical and responsible” practices include a policy against using animals for testing and unfortunately, Younique responded back with the same statement found on their website. That they “strive to work with third party manufacturers who share these same values”.

The problem I have with this statement is there’s a difference when a brand says they strive to work with manufacturers that don’t test on animals versus they only work with manufacturers that don’t test on animals.

When verifying brands to add to our Cruelty-Free Brand Directory, one of the criteria they must meet is requiring that all of their suppliers don’t test on animals. And it doesn’t sound to me that Younique has done this 100% to obtain a cruelty-free certification. And that’s probably why Younique is not certified cruelty-free by a third-party organization like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

I also have a screenshot of their old animal testing statement from their website in 2015. During this time, Younique stated they have not conducted an in-depth cruelty-free review.

Younique Animal Testing Policy

Additionally, in 2015, Younique claimed they were in the process of obtaining cruelty-free certification. But as we know in 2021, they’re still not approved by Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International, PETA, or Choose Cruelty-Free.

“Younique does not test our products on animals. We are in the process of exploring/procuring official certification as a cruelty-free company. However, Younique has not conducted an in-depth cruelty-free review tracing each ingredient back to such ingredient’s original source at this time.”

It sounds to me that Younique still hasn’t conducted an in-depth review of making sure all of their ingredient suppliers don’t test on animals.

With everything being considered and Younique not being able to provide clarifications on their ingredient suppliers, I am unable to classify Younique as a cruelty-free brand or not.

For those reasons, Younique is on our Grey Area Brand List – Brands with Unclear Policies.

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What do you think

107 thoughts on “Younique”

  1. Great article. I also emailed Younique but received no response. I note apparentl they ‘package’ in China although in China, it is mandatory to test on animals before the product is sold. There is also a wholesale company selling their mascara which states 100% same ingredients as Younique – so is it Younique. Why am I unhappy – a I pointed this out to a Younique presenter who’s response was “I don’t care if they test on animals as long as I’m making money”….. Integrity speaks volumes…

    1. I haven’t tracked down where Younique products are made or packaged, but if they were manufactured in China but not SOLD in their country.. then I know that those products are not required to be tested on animals. Their law states that all imported cosmetics must be tested on animals before they’re allow to sell in their country.

      Ahh, that’s very interesting that you found another mascara with the exact same ingredients as Younique… I can imagine this is quite common in the beauty industry to re-use the same formulas but repackage and rename it. But this is raising another red flag for Younique! and I can’t believe one of their reps said that to you!

  2. Interesting article as this is the exact same conversation I had with them a year ago, so its obvious nothing has changed!!

    Conversation started June 30 2014
    6/30 – Me: Hello,In consideration in ordering your product from one of your direct sellers I started to do some research and was wondering the following…..• I saw a statement back in May where Younique was working on getting the certification to back the cruelty free statement down to the ingredients, so I was curious if this had been accomplished yet?
    • Are you shipping to China?
    • Do you know how the animals are raised/farmed for the use of your products that do contain animal products such as hair?
    Are these caged animals or free range?

    7/2, – Younique – Corporate
    Hi Tonia!
    Thank you so much for your interest in Younique! Currently, we are only shipping and selling in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. However, we are beginning to expand globally. We don’t have a definite date on when we will be in China but we hope to be there soon. In the meantime, please continue to watch our website (www.youniqueproducts.com) and our corporate Facebook page (www.facebook.com/youniqueproducts) for news about our company launching in other countries. We are still working on the Leaping Bunny cruelty-free certification and it is quite an extensive process but while we are working on getting that certification we are practicing everything needed to be cruelty free. So even though we don’t have the certification yet, we are still practicing that way. For the other questions you had about animals and how they are raised, I suggest contacting our support team. They will know more about that detail. To contact support, click on the link below to enter a ticket or to chat live during business hours. You can also contact them on the phone, if you prefer. https://www.youniqueproducts.com/business/support Thank you!.
    …7/2 Me: Thank you and if you ship to China it will take you completely out of the Leaping Bunny Cruelty Free program as China REQUIRES you to actually test on animals – so ridiculous of China so you would be better off to avoid that country. Thanks again..
    …7/2, Younique – Corporate – Oh! That is excellent info! I will send that to our Marketing dept.

  3. Here is my latest email from April of this year….They are still singing the SAME song!!! My email to Younique in April 2015 – the above email was from 2014….
    Hello,
    I reached out via FB back in June (see below) and your staff was very helpful on the questions I had at the time. Now that it’s been nearly a year I thought I would check again as I have another dear friend who is currently selling your products and I would love to support her. However, I am a bit disappointed as in checking your website again as of last week it appears that you are still singing the same tune of not being able to answer consumers questions about the ingredients.

    1. Have you received Leaping Bunny Certification yet?
    a. If not is this something you hope to do?
    ANSWER: Younique does not test our products on animals. We are in the process of exploring/procuring official certification as a cruelty-free company. However, Younique has not conducted an in-depth cruelty-free review tracing each ingredient back to such ingredient’s original source at this time.

    2. Are you shipping out to China yet?
    a. If not is there a date in which you plan to?
    ANSWER: Currently, we are shipping and selling in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. We have also recently announced our upcoming market openings in Mexico, Germany, and a US Latina Presenter ship scheduled for this year. While we don’t have a definite date as to when we will be in China, we hope it’s soon.
    b. Are you aware of the requirements to export product to China? NO ANSWER

    3. Are you able to validate and confirm where the ingredients originate from and what testing is being done there? NO ANSWER
    a. If not why is this taking so long, as it leads to suspicion of just being a buffer or the general public and that you know they are not cruelty free NO ANSWER
    4. There are a lot of your brushes made of animal hair, can you confirm the origin of these animals?
    a. Are you able or have you confirmed the animal welfare that is taken place during this process.
    i. I believe I was told it’s a 1st cut only – can you confirm this?
    ANSWER: Younique cosmetic brushes are made from synthetic materials and from First Cut animal hair. First Cut animal hair is obtained from animals that can offer “Live” hair such as goats and pony. These animals are simply getting a haircut.
    ii. Also are the animals farm raised, caged or free range? NO ANSWER
    iii. If you are the 1st cut only what happens to the animal after that? NO ANSWER

    5. Are you able to validate your “cruelty free” claim? Meaning define what that means to Younique? NO ANSWER
    a. Is this based solely on the fact that Younique doesn’t test but your supplier does? NO ANSWER
    b. Is this based solely on your internal practice here in the US? NO ANSWER
    c. Is this based solely on just the finished product itself? NO ANSWER
    6. What measures have you done to decrease the use of animals for testing? NO ANSWER
    7. Are you supporting and/or providing profits to raise awareness for an end to animal testing for cosmetics? NO ANSWER

    My overall point is this:
    When you make a claim as strong as “cruelty free” you are giving the consumers an ambiguous statement which in turn makes the claim and label meaningless.

    Of course these consumers typically fail to do their homework, failing to understand that each company can define their own version of cruelty free claims, fail to understand that the government does not have regulations in place for this or worst yet and most commonly consumers that just turn a blind eye and pretend they are doing a good thing solely based on your label.

    This misconception that they are buying from a company that has taken pride in ensuring animals are not tested in my opinion makes me respect a company less as its being used as a selling tactic despite the company’s overall lack of research and/or due diligence.

    I hope you are able to put my mind at ease in order to support my friends who have embarked on this adventure.

    I look forward to your reply
    Best regards,
    Tonia Downard

    ANSWER: (If you want to call it that) Thank you for taking the time to write and express your concerns. Consumer safety is a top priority for Younique, and we are constantly working to improve our products and formulas using safe, high-quality ingredients while maximizing cosmetic performance. While we are not able to discuss specific details or sourcing of our product ingredients and formulas for proprietary reasons, our ingredient lists are provided on each respective product page on the website. If you are interested in researching additional information about selected ingredients and/or the safety of certain ingredients and cosmetics, you might find the website http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org. to be a helpful resource.
    Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you.
    Have a great day!
    Thank you,
    Younique Support Team

    1. Ohmygoodness, Tonia! I gotta give you some mad props for your patience while dealing with them! I would have given up! You’re totally right… the “cruelty-free” claim they are making is so ambiguous and none of their reps can provide a concrete answer to any of our specific questions! and I would have been fine if they said that they honestly don’t know the answers and will direct it to someone in their company that can properly address it which may take time to hear back.

      But with the information you’ve provided me, makes me question their brand’s integrity and leaves me wondering what they are trying to hide from their customers… arghs.

  4. Supposedly, I’ve heard from Younique sellers that they cannot claim they are cruelty free because the company has not been up long enough to establish that. I’m not too sure that this is true but that is what I have heard from multiple sellers.

    1. Hi Alena! Just saw your comment now, apologize for the delayed response. As far as I know, any company (new or old) can take the necessary steps to ensure that none of their products or ingredients are tested on animals.

      As far as being CERTIFIED cruelty-free, both Leaping Bunny and PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Program will accept newly establish companies. I know the Australian cruelty-free certification from Choose Cruelty Free require companies to be at least a year old.

      Hope that helps answer your question =)

  5. Not sure if someone asked about this but I noticed one of their makeup brushes (maybe more I have yet to look) is made with pony hair. I’m wondering how this falls into their cruelty free policy?

    1. Great question, Amy! Unfortunately there is no legal or standard definition for the term ‘cruelty-free’. Companies can use dog or cat hair for makeup brushes and get away with calling them ‘cruelty-free’. Similar to how some mink eyelashes are sometimes labelled as cruelty-free.

      If makeup brushes are made without animal hair then they should be labelled as vegan, I’m not sure if Younique has made any official statements saying any of their makeup brushes are vegan but are made with pony hair. If so, then that’s false information and they shouldn’t be labelled as vegan. Hope that clears things up for ya! =)

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