You can find Oribe cruelty-free products at Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Beautylish, and on Amazon.

Oribe is *Cruelty-Free

Oribe 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 Oribe to be *Cruelty-Free.

*Oribe is owned by Kao, 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 Kao owns Oribe.

Below is a screenshot of Oribe’s official animal testing statement:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

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 2021.

But Oribe has confirmed they only sell online or in Hong Kong, and not in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

“Currently Oribe products are not directly sold in Mainland China. However we do sell to Joyce beauty which is shipped to Hong Kong.“

Hong Kong is not part of mainland China so, they do not have the same animal testing laws as mainland China. Therefore, Oribe is not required to test on animals.

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.

Oribe 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 Oribe, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

How to know which of Oribe products are vegan?

All of Oribe’s vegan products are labelled as such on their website.

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Oribe’s official website about its vegan products:

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 a company publicly addresses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.

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

“Thanks for reaching out! Yes, the following products contain Mica

• Airbrush Root Touch Up Spray – Light Brown
• Airbrush Root Touch Up Spray – Platinum
• Balm d’Or Heat Styling Shield
• Silverati Conditioner
• Silverati Illuminating Treatment Masque
• Silverati Shampoo
• Supershine Light Moisturizing Cream
• Supershine Moisturizing Cream”

Oribe’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.