You can find Sunday Riley cruelty-free products at Sephora, Ulta, Beautylish, and Amazon.

Sunday Riley is Cruelty-Free

Sunday Riley 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 Sunday Riley to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is what’s currently stated on Sunday Riley’s website:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Sunday Riley 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, and by any third parties.

Also, note that Cruelty-Free and Vegan don’t always mean the same thing.

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

How to know which of Sunday Riley products are vegan?

All of Sunday Riley’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website.

Note that Sunday Riley states on their website’s ‘Sustainability’ page that most of their products are vegan, with the exception of those containing honey or beeswax. However, I’ve spotted pearl powder and lanolin in a couple of their other products. I would advise double-checking the ingredient list before buying.

Sunday Riley Vegan Product List

Below is a list of Sunday Riley products that are suitable for vegans and do not contain any animal by-products. This vegan product list was provided by Sunday Riley.

Note that Sunday Riley used to list their Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner as ‘Vegan’ but it contains Pearl Powder, making it NOT vegan.

• CEO Glow – Vitamin C and Tumeric Face Oil
• Ceramic Slip – Cleanser
• Charcoal Smoothie – Jelly Body Scrub
• Clean Rinse – Clarifying Scalp Serum
• Fairy Godmother – Shimmering Body Oil Gel
• Good Genes – Glycolic Acid Treatment
• Good Genes – Lactic Acid Treatment
• Juno – Antioxidant + Superfood Face Oil
• Luna – Sleeping Night Oil
• Saturn – Sulfur Acne Treatment
• Tidal – Brightening Enzyme Water Cream

Not Vegan – Sunday Riley

The following products from Sunday Riley contain some animal by-products and therefore are not suitable for vegans:

• A+ – High-Dose Retinoid Serum (contains honey) – not vegan
• Auto Correct – Eye Cream (contains beeswax) – not vegan
• Blue Moon – Clean rinse Cleansing Balm (contains beeswax) – not vegan
• CEO – 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum (contains beeswax) – not vegan
• CEO – Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream (contains beeswax) – not vegan
• Ice – Ceramide Moisturizing Cream (contains lanolin) – not vegan
• Martian – Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner (contains pearl powder) – not vegan
• Pink Drink – Firming Resurfacing Essence (contains honey) – 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 Sunday Riley’s products made?

When I asked Sunday Riley where their products are manufactured, they told me:

“All of our products are manufactured in the US. 
We are based out of Houston, Tx.“

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

“We focus on supplier and ingredient integrity. The mica used is sourced ethically. The majority of our ingredient suppliers are based in the U.S., Japan, Germany, U.K., France, and Italy. All of our ingredients are vetted for purity and our suppliers are vetted for good manufacturing practices. We never cut costs with cheaper suppliers. Our employees participate in trainings to help them identify and properly respond to possible infractions of our code, and help in mitigating the risk of supplier noncompliance. We hope this helps, please let us know if you have any questions or there’s any way we can assist you further!”

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