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You can find Scentuals cruelty-free products at Well.ca and on Amazon.
Scentuals is Cruelty-Free
Scentuals 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 Scentuals to be Cruelty-Free.
Below is a screenshot of Scentuals’ official animal testing statement:
In addition, I had also emailed and asked Scentuals about their animal testing policy, see below for a snippet of their email response:
“We do not do any animal testing. The ingredients all the way to the final product are not tested on animals. The nature of the raw ingredients are safe and natural on their own, so there is no reason for our suppliers to test on animals as well.
We do not commission or hire third parties to test our ingredients and final products. And our products are not sold in China.
To ensure the safety of our products, we have to choose ingredients that have a long history of safe use. There are already many products on the market that are made using such ingredients. These ingredients have been safely used for decades or have been tested in the past and don’t require new testing. This is how our company has been able to not use any animal testing ever.
We also use non-animal tests that are already available. Nearly 50 non-animal tests have been validated for use, and these modern alternatives can offer results that are not only more relevant to people, but more efficient and cost-effective. Advanced non-animal tests represent the very latest techniques that science has to offer, replacing outdated animal tests that were developed decades ago.“
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.
Scentuals 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 Scentuals, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of Scentuals products are vegan?
Scentuals clearly marks all of its vegan products with their own designated Vegan Symbol.
Also, the following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on Scentuals’ 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 Scentuals if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded with a statement from their mica supplier stating:
“(*X Mica Supplier) helps support organizations such as “Made in a Free World” an Organization that works with mines to get the children out of the lines and into schools. (*X Mica Supplier) sell no pigments that are manufactured with Mica Powder from Mines in India or South Africa“
(*X) Mica Supplier – I have omitted the name of their mica supplier as I’m not sure if they wanted this to be public information
I hope this article helped you to understand Scentuals’ cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
