Jo Malone is NOT Cruelty-Free!

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

In addition, Jo Malone is owned by Estee Lauder, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.

Jo Malone’s Animal Testing Policy

Jo Malone removed their animal testing statement from their website’s FAQ page. Below is a screenshot I took from Jo Malone’s website in 2017:

Now, Jo Malone doesn’t appear to have any statement on their website about their stance on animal testing. So, I recently emailed the company to ask for an updated animal testing statement, and they responded by saying:

“Jo Malone London has a strong belief that cosmetic animal testing is not necessary and should be eliminated worldwide. We do not test on animals and our company is helping to bring about change in countries where animal testing is conducted on cosmetics as required by law. Read more here: https://estee.cm/2OPYeQt”

Policies stating, “where animal testing is conducted on cosmetics as 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 Jo Malone Sold in China?

In my research, I discovered that Jo Malone products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.

Below is a screenshot of Jo Malone 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 Jo Malone 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 Jo Malone) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.

Because Jo Malone 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 Jo Malone 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 Jo Malone 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, Jo Malone 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 Jo Malone already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Is Jo Malone Certified Cruelty-Free?

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

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

Is Jo Malone Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Jo Malone 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, Jo Malone is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Estee Lauder.

Is Jo Malone Cruelty-Free?

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

Currently, Jo Malone is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Jo Malone Vegan?

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

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 Jo Malone:

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

• The 7 Virtues
• PINROSE
• PHLUR
• Maison Louis Marie
• By Rosie Jane