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You can find Smashbox products at smashbox.com, Sephora, Ulta, and on Amazon.
Smashbox is *Cruelty-Free
Smashbox 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 Smashbox to be *Cruelty-Free.
*Smashbox is owned by Estee Lauder, 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 Estee Lauder owns Smashbox.
Below is what is currently stated on Smashbox’s website:
What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?
Smashbox 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, or any third parties.
Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.
Smashbox 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 Smashbox, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.
How to know which of Smashbox’s products are vegan?
All of Smashbox’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.
Smashbox Vegan Product List
As of 2021, I will no longer be regularly updating this list of Smashbox’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.
Below is a list of Smashbox products that are suitable for vegans and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
You can also find out which of their products are vegan on Smashbox’s website.
Primers
- Crystalized Photo Finish Primer Water
- Nourishing Face Primer Serum
- Photo Finish Crystalized Primerizer
- Photo Finish Fresh Setting Powder
- Photo Finish Even Skintone Primer
- Photo Finish Foundation Primer
- Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light
- Photo Finish Mattify Primer Stick
- Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer
- Photo Finish Primerizer
- Photo Finish Primer Water
- Photo Finish Protect SPF 20 Primer
- Photo Finish Radiance Primer
- Photo Finish Reduce Redness Primer
- Photo Finish Vitamin Glow Primer
- Photo Finish Weightless Setting Spray
Foundation, BB + CC Cream, Concealer
- Halo Healthy Glow All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 25
- Photo Finish Fresh Setting Powder
- Studio Skin 24 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation
- Studio Skin Concealer
- Studio Skin Flawless 24 Hour Concealer
Blush + Contour + Highlighter
Lips
Eyes & Brows
Others
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 Smashbox’s products made?
I tried asking Smashbox where their products are made but they won’t disclose that information to me.
“SmashBox, a brand of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., does business in over 150 countries and territories around the world. As a global organization, our products are produced in various facilities worldwide. You can be assured that, regardless of the place of manufacture, all of our facilities follow stringent manufacturing practices and follow our Global Quality Assurance procedures and policies.”
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 Smashbox if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating their parent company, Estee Lauder’s mica sourcing policy.
Estee Lauder’s statement claims their mica is globally-sourced and they work with NGOs to improve living conditions where child labor is widespread in the mica industry.
However, it’s not clear where their mica is mined or sourced from and how they trace or audit to ensure no child labor was involved.
“The Estée Lauder Companies formulates with mica that is globally sourced. While our ingredient supply chains are complex and multilayered, ELC has proactively partnered with local NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (now the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation or KSCF) to help address child labor in the mica mining industry by promoting education as an alternative to work for children in mica-sourcing communities. For more information, please reference our CR Report.”
I hope this article helped you to understand Smashbox’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!
