You can find KVD cruelty-free products at kvdveganbeauty.com, Sephora, Target, and Ulta.

KVD Beauty is *Cruelty-Free

KVD Beauty has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf. Their suppliers also do not test on animals, nor do they allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law. And finally, their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing.

By our standards, we would consider KVD Beauty to be *Cruelty-Free.

*KVD Beauty is owned by Kendo which is part of LVMH, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.

It’s your choice whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. I encourage you to do what you’re comfortable with, but I think it’s important to disclose that LVMH owns KVD Beauty.

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on KVD Beauty’s website about its animal testing policy:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

KVD Beauty has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

As of May 1, 2021, some imported ordinary cosmetics can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, for the most part, animal testing is still legally required for most imported cosmetics in 2022.

Cruelty-Free Policies

Note that 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, and by any third parties.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

KVD Beauty is 100% Vegan

KVD Beauty has confirmed all of its products are vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on KVD Beauty’s website about its vegan claims:

In 2016, Kat Von D announced she was working on reformulating her makeup line to be completely vegan. Their popular Shade + Light Contour Palette was the first to be reformulated and carmine was removed as an ingredient, making the contour palette vegan.

“I’ve been working hard this past year in reformulating the few products in my makeup line to be 100 percent vegan.” – Kat Von D

Now all of KVD Beauty products are officially 100% vegan and no longer contain carmine or any other animal-derived ingredient and by-product.

Vegan Policies

Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But it’s usually used in the context to describe something that doesn’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.

Some common animal products used 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 it’s sometimes 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’ve chosen to use were from non-animal sources.

Where are KVD Beauty’s products made?

I asked KVD Beauty where their products are manufactured and they told me:

“We are committed to solving all of your questions and concerns, but we are unable to assist you with product information via email.”

Ethical Mica Mining Policy

Mica is a mineral that’s used in cosmetics to add a shimmery effect. But the mining of natural mica has been linked to child labor and human rights violations.

Unless the company discloses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.

So I asked KVD Beauty if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“KVD Vegan Beauty is committed to only use natural mica from mines that comply with human rights and labor standards. We make every effort to ensure the traceability and transparency of our supply chains for the natural mica used in our products.”

I hope this article helped you to understand KVD’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!