This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
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.
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.
107 thoughts on “Younique”
I was told the same when Younique first started nearly 2 years ago and they are still waiting on certification! I think they feed their presenters with a load of rubbish as selling their product and making money is all they are interested in to be honest and nothing else!! Seems to be a company without morals – only good marketing!
Seriously, they do not, and presenters are told not to say we are Cruelty free. We do offer vegan friendly and gluten free products. Corp tells us all the time NOT to claim cruelty free. As for transparency, ALL ingredients are listed on the website under the products. Do some real research.
Something cannot be vegan friendly if it is tested on animals. Period!
You can’t say it is vegan if it is not CF… and yes we can look at ingredients, but do not have the source of the ingredients to confirm they were not tested on animals… so do YOUR research.
None of our products are made in China any more, we have to comply with the European ban of 1300 chemicals.
I decided to try a “live chat” on younique’s website.
I asked about why they haven’t gone cruelty free, their response:
“I’d be happy to answer your question about our products being cruelty free. Younique does not test our products on animals. However, Younique has not conducted an in-depth cruelty-free review tracing each ingredient back to such ingredient’s original source at this time. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide you with further information at this time.”
So I responded:
“Do you know why you haven’t conducted an in-depth cruelty free review yet? Like I said, I was told you’ve been trying your hardest to become certified for a couple years. From what I’ve read, it shouldn’t take a couple years.”
Their response:
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any other information as to why we have not become certified yet. I apologize for this.”
So I’m still saying they’re not cruelty free.
Oh dear, it’s been almost a year since I published this article about Younique and it’s concerning how absolutely nothing has changed and that they’re still unable to provide us with any information!
I am a Younique Presenter (newer) I wanted to get into some kind of MLM just as a hobby that makes me a few dollars in the process. I seriously thought they were 100% cruelty free when I purchased the kit to begin selling their products. I began researching various things about Younique products to provide more information to my customers. That is when I found this statement:
“Younique does not test our products on animals. However, Younique has not conducted an in-depth cruelty-free review tracing each ingredient back to such ingredient’s original source at this time. ”
I was floored, as so many sites I had been on researching this all said cruelty free %100 -_-
I to even highlighted that fact in my description, of course I took it out now. So I emailed support and this is the answer I got:
Hello Jessica,
Thank you for contacting Younique Support.
We do not have an estimated date just yet but I know they are working to get this all updated as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience as we resolve this matter.
Thank you,
(I asked when they would be certified as this was the main reason I began selling)
So in the mean time I am hoping it eventually becomes cruelty free, after seeing all these comments I am worried, as I do love most of the products.
Hi Jess! I think it’s great that you reached out to Younique demanding for answers and requesting that they become certified as soon as possible!
After your comment, I reached out to Leaping Bunny and they told me that Younique has started their application to become certified but they are not ACTIVE in the certification process.
So at this point, there’s absolutely no update and it’s important that anyone wanting to support Younique should reach out to them and encourage the company to complete their application. Let’s hope that the more people reach out to them will help move things along =)
I agree %100! I am happy to hear they at least started an application! I will be emailing them often, hopefully soon we can say we are cruelty free 😀
I am a Younique presenter – and I specifically make sure all my customers and my team members know that “Not Tested on Animals” is NOT the same thing as “cruelty-free” and to NEVER market it using those words.
Younique as a corporation may be very convoluted on this issue. and they are definitely lacking transparency (it’s April 2016 now and nothing else has been done, they are still not registered with any organizations) – but that does NOT mean that all Younique presenters are misleading customers or making claims they can’t back up.
Many leading makeup companies are not cruelty free, and unfortunately, many customers just don’t care – but I ALWAYS ensure the ones who ask, are given the REAL information and not just some vague hope for the future or a blatant lie.