Is ZitSticka Cruelty-Free?

❓It is unclear whether ZitSticka is truly cruelty-free or animal-tested. Therefore, ZitSticka is listed as Grey Area – Brands with Unclear Policies.

To be a truly cruelty-free brand, companies must meet all of the following:

• ZitSticka does not test its products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on its behalf
• ZitSticka can ensure none of its ingredient suppliers test on animals
• ZitSticka does not allow or sell its products under conditions where animal testing is required by law

Based on our research, ZitSticka has not met all of the above cruelty-free criteria. For those reasons, we are unable to classify ZitSticka as a truly cruelty-free brand.

Learn more about our findings and why ZitSticka’s cruelty-free policy is unclear below.

ZitSticka’s Animal Testing Policy

When asking, does ZitSticka test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of ZitSticka’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.

To assess whether brands are cruelty-free, I always start with the company’s official animal testing policy on their website.

However, I couldn’t find ZitSticka’s animal testing statement anywhere on its website.

So I reached out to ZitSticka to ask for more information about their cruelty-free policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test, not just their finished products but their ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like mainland China).

And ZitSticka responded by saying:

“We can confirm that we absolutely do not test on animals; only on real-life human beings. We also do not pay other people to test ZitSticka products on animals. 🙂 I do not know if we audit or require documentation but we only work with trusted and compliant suppliers. Most of our products are made in Korea where it is illegal to test skincare products on animals.

I am not aware of any resellers in mainland China, and we only offer wholesale in the US, so I would be very surprised if our products were being sold there. I can confirm we do not knowingly sell there, but we do see the occasional unauthorized resellers.”

ZitSticka was unable to provide clarification on whether they verify with all its ingredient suppliers that they do not test on animals and it was not clear if ZitSticka products are sold in mainland China stores or not, where animal testing may be required by law.

As a result, we are unable to classify ZitSticka as a truly cruelty-free brand according to our Cruelty-Free Standards.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Just because a brand claims they are ‘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.

Is Company Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

Since ZitSticka is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is substantiating or auditing ZitSticka’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Does ZitSticka Test on Animals?

Unfortunately, ZitSticka failed to clarify if the company verifies with all of its suppliers that they don’t test on animals and if the company allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law like when selling in China.

As a result, we cannot classify ZitSticka as a truly cruelty-free brand until they are more transparent with their animal testing policy.

Currently, ZitSticka is on our Grey Area Brands List – Brands with Unclear Policies.

Is ZitSticka Vegan?

❌ ZitSticka is NOT vegan. ZitSticka claims to offer some “vegan” options that are free of animal-derived ingredients, but because ZitSticka’s cruelty-free status is unclear, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by ZitSticka to be vegan at this time.

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.

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.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to ZitSticka

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

• Hero Cosmetics *owned by Church & Dwight
• COSRX
• Peace Out
• Mario Badescu