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You can find Milk Makeup’s cruelty-free products at Sephora, Cult Beauty, and Amazon.
Milk Makeup is Cruelty-Free
Milk Makeup 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 Milk Makeup to be Cruelty-Free.
Below is a screenshot of what is currently stated on Milk Makeup’s website:
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Milk Makeup 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.
Milk Makeup is 100% Vegan
Milk Makeup 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 Milk Makeup’s website about its vegan claims:
Does Milk Makeup Have Milk In It?
Despite their name, Milk Makeup products do not contain animal milk. All of Milk Makeup products are free of animal-derived ingredients and by-products, including milk.
Milk Makeup Products We Recommend:
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 Milk Makeup’s products made?
When I asked Milk Makeup where their products are manufactured, they told me:
“They are made in the USA.”
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 Milk Makeup if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“The mica in our highlighter is sourced from India. We are in close communication with our filler and can confirm that we do not use child labor at any stage in the process of obtaining our mica.
The filler we work with abides by the codes of the Ethical Trade Initiative and their supply chain is regularly audited to ensure they’re meeting these guidelines.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Milk Makeup’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
