Smith & Cult

Last Updated: January 5, 2022

Is Smith & Cult Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here’s a summary of Smith & Cult’s ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Smith & Cult cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Smith & Cult’s policies.
Smith & Cult is cruelty-free. None of Smith & Cult’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals anywhere in the world.
Not all of Smith & Cult’s products are vegan, but they have some vegan options.
Smith & Cult does not claim or market itself as a sustainable company.
It’s not clear where Smith & Cult’s mica is mined or sourced from and how they trace or audit to ensure no child labor was involved.
Smith & Cult products come in plastic packaging. I couldn’t find anything stating they’re working on reducing their use of virgin plastic in their product packaging.

About Smith & Cult

Smith & Cult provides innovative makeup and nail polish, color, and performance to match your mood.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: USA, Canada, Italy, Denmark
PRODUCTS: Makeup, Nails
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International

Smith & Cult

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

You can find Smith & Cult’s cruelty-free products on Amazon or at Ulta and Beautylish.

Is Smith & Cult Cruelty-Free?

Smith & Cult is Cruelty-Free

Smith & Cult 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 Smith & Cult to be Cruelty-Free.

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Smith & Cult 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.

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

How to know which of Smith & Cult’s products are vegan?

All of Smith & Cult’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. See below for an example.

Smith and Cult Vegan Products

Smith & Cult Vegan Product List

As of 2021, I will no longer be regularly updating this list of Smith & Cult’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.

The following Smith & Cult products are suitable for vegans and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Nails – Smith & Cult Vegan

Makeup – Smith & Cult Vegan


Not Vegan – Smith & Cult

Below is a list a Smith & Cult products that are not vegan as they contain some animal ingredients.

  • Blackdrop Mattifying Face Primer (contains hydrolyzed pearl) – not vegan
  • Fractal Prismatic Lip Sheen – not vegan
  • Flash Flush Cream (contains carmine) – not vegan
  • Flash Flush Powder (contains carmine) – not 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.

Where are Smith & Cult’s products made?

“Our products are made and manufactured in different countries such as the U.S., Canada, Italy, and Denmark depending on the product.”

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 Smith & Cult if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

“All of our ingredients are ethically sourced and we ensure that our suppliers comply with social audits.”

Smith & Cult claims all of their ingredients are “ethically-sourced”. 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.


I hope this article helped you to understand Smith & Cult’s cruelty-free and vegan status and by choosing cruelty-free together, we can help end animal testing for cosmetics once and for all!

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