Is St. Ives Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

St. Ives is a popular drugstore skin and body care brand known for their affordable facial scrubs and body lotions, but is St. Ives cruelty-free and vegan?

Is St. Ives Cruelty-Free?

Yes, St. Ives is Cruelty-free! None of St. Ives’ ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals, anywhere in the world.

However, it should be noted that St. Ives is owned by Unilever, a parent corporation that does test on animals when required by law.

St. Ives has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals, they do not allow others to test on their behalf, their suppliers also do not test on animals, and their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing by law.

Below is what is currently stated on St. Ives’ website:

St. Ives Owned by Unilever

In 2010, Unilever acquired St. Ives. Unilever is a corporation that does test on animals when required by law.

Although St. Ives is owned by Unilever, St. Ives is committed to being and staying as a cruelty-free brand.

St. Ives Sold in China?

St. Ives products are not sold in mainland China, they confirmed this to me by stating:

“St. Ives is not and has never been sold directly in China. Consumers in China are only able to purchase St. Ives through cross-border e-commerce sites.“

St. Ives is included on our List of Cruelty-Free Brands.

You can find St. Ives products on Amazon and in stores at Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Is St. Ives Vegan?

Almost all of St. Ives’ products are vegan with the exception of a couple of their products that contain collagen and elastin derived from marine sources.

Almost all of St. Ives products are vegan, they confirmed this to me by stating:

“None of our products contain animal derived ingredients with the exception of the St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer and the St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Body Lotion, which contain collagen and elastin derived from a marine source.“

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Is St. Ives Ethical?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any public information on St. Ives’ sustainability, environmental, and social initiatives.

Eco-Friendly Packaging Initiatives: St. Ives bottles are recyclable and they claim to be developing and testing new packaging materials including the use of recycled materials. Currently, only some of St. Ives bottles contain up to 25% recycled plastic.

“Because we recognize the importance of preserving natural resources, our company is engaged in a series of programs designed to address a number of issues concerning the environment. These issues range from biodegradability to recycling. Our company actively participates in industry-wide coalitions and trade associations which are working toward solutions to solid waste problems.We have established a center devoted entirely to the development and testing of new packaging materials and concepts. Company efforts to reduce solid waste include recycling projects, packages which can be recycled and use of recycled materials. Our scientists are also conducting studies on a broad range of product formulas and ingredients to ensure their environmental compatibility.”

Ingredients and Formulations Claims: St. Ives claims their products are Paraben-Free.

There’s also St. Ives infamous Apricot Scrub lawsuit which was tossed out of court in 2018.