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You can find Murad’s cruelty-free products at murad.com, Sephora, Ulta, Amazon, and Nordstrom.
Murad is *Cruelty-Free
Murad 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 Murad to be *Cruelty-Free.
*Murad is owned by Unilever, 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 Unilever owns Murad.
Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Murad’s website about its animal testing policy:
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Murad has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.
Hong Kong does not have the same animal testing laws as mainland China. So just as long as Murad is selling only in Hong Kong and not in mainland China, 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.
Murad is Not 100% Vegan
‘Vegan’ in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand that is 100% Vegan or a specific product is vegan.
In the case of Murad, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Murad’s FAQ page about its vegan product offering:
How to know which of Murad products are vegan?
All of Murad’s vegan products are indicated as “formulated without animal-derived ingredients” on their website.
Murad Vegan Product List
Below is a list of Murad products that are suitable for vegans and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
As of 2021, I will no longer be regularly updating this list of Murad’s vegan products as all of their vegan products are now clearly marked. Check their website for the most up-to-date and accurate information on which products are vegan or not.
Cleansers & Toners – Murad Vegan
- AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser
- Clarifying Body Spray
- Clarifying Cleanser
- Clarifying Toner
- Hydrating Toner
- Refreshing Cleanser
- Renewing Cleansing Cream
Serums & Treamtents – Murad Vegan
- Hydro-Dynamic Quenching Essence
- Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | PA+++
- InvisiScar Resurfacing Treatment
- Multi-Vitamin Infusion Oil
- Night Fix Enzyme Treatment
- Prebiotic 3-in-1 MultiMist
- Rapid Age Spot Correcting Serum
- Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment
- Replenishing Multi-Acid Peel
- Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum
- Retinol Youth Renewal Serum
- Revitalixir Recovery Serum
- Sensitive Skin Soothing Serum
- Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum
Moisturizers – Murad Vegan
- Age-Balancing Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | PA+++
- City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer
- Essential-C Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | PA+++
- Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture
- Nutrient-Charged Water Gel
- Oil and Pore Control Mattifier Broad Spectrum SPF 45 | PA++++
- Perfecting Day Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | PA+++
- Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream
Eyes – Murad Vegan
- Essential-C Eye Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 15 | PA++
- Renewing Eye Cream
- Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum
- Revitalixir Recovery Serum
- Vita-C Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
Masks & Peels – Murad Vegan
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.
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 Murad if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,
“Murad is very much dedicated to ethically sourced, sustainable ingredients. We do verify/inspect all our suppliers and make sure they have the same philosophy as we do and also do not test on animals.”
Murad’s response did not specifically address where their mica is sourced from and how they audit or trace to ensure no child labor was involved in mining their mica.
I hope this article helped you to understand Murad’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
0 thoughts on “Murad (Unilever)”
Hi Vicky, we’ve been following your posts for a while now and we really appreciate the amount of research and effort you put into these types of informative blog posts! It makes it really easy for us conscious consumers to stay updated, which is so necessary these days when brands can change their Animal Testing Policies without telling us.