You can find SUGAR Cosmetics’ cruelty-free products on Amazon.

SUGAR Cosmetics is Cruelty-Free

SUGAR Cosmetics 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 SUGAR Cosmetics to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is a snippet of the response I received from SUGAR Cosmetics regarding their animal testing policy:

“We understand your intentions and glad to inform you that the ingredients used in any of our products or the product after manufacturing are never tested on Animals.

In addition to this, we only deal with the entities who are currently [cruelty-free] certified, however, we won’t be able to share the certification details.

Also, currently our retail stores are only available in India and for any other continents the order can be processed only through our website. Hope this helps.”

And below is what’s currently stated on SUGAR Cosmetics’ website and their claims of being cruelty-free:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

SUGAR Cosmetics has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

Below is a snippet of a response I received from SUGAR Cosmetics confirming they do not have any retail stores in mainland China:

“We just ship online out of India, so the stores are available in India only.“

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.

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

How to know which of Cosmetics products are vegan?

The following SUGAR Cosmetics products are NOT suitable for vegans and DO contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products. This non-vegan product list was provided by SUGAR Cosmetics.

“We would like to inform you that all our products are vegan, except for the below products:“

• Blend The Rules Eyeshadow Quads – 02 Believe,03 Escapade,06 Disturbia,07 Applause,08 Respect,09 Diamonds,11 Promiscuous,12 Complicated,14 Skyfall,15 Bootylicious,16 Roar,17 Goldeneye,18 Scandalous – not vegan
• Matte As Hell Crayon Lipstick – 03 Poison Ivy (Wine) – not vegan
• Matte As Hell Crayon Lipstick – 10 Cherry Darling (Cherry Red) – not vegan
• Mettle Liquid lipstick – not vegan
• Stroke Of Genius Heavy-Duty Kohl – 02 Purple Rain – not vegan
• Stroke Of Genius Heavy-Duty Kohl – 04 Blue Suede Shoes – 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 SUGAR Cosmetics’ products made?

SUGAR Cosmetics’ website states, “Manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities across Germany, Italy, India, USA and Korea the brand ships its bestselling products across Lips, Eyes, Face and Nail categories across the world.”

*Note: Cosmetics made in China are not required to be tested on animals. Only cosmetics that are imported and sold in physical stores in mainland China are required to be tested on animals according to China’s animal testing laws.

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 SUGAR Cosmetics if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,

SUGAR Cosmetics claims their mica is “100% legally sourced” but 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.

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