You can find The Inkey List’s cruelty-free products at Sephora, Cult Beauty, and Boots.

The Inkey List is Cruelty-Free

The Inkey List 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 The Inkey List to be Cruelty-Free.

In an email response, The Inkey List told me:

“We don’t test our products on animals we don’t work with suppliers who do as part of our contracts with them. We won’t enter any market that requires animal testing either by ourselves or a third party on our behalf!”

Below is a screenshot of The Inkey List’s official animal testing statement:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

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 2021.

But The Inkey List has confirmed they do not sell their products in retail stores in mainland China; therefore, they are not required to test on animals.

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.

The Inkey List 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 The Inkey List, not all of their products are vegan. But they have some products that are suitable for vegans.

How to know which of The Inkey List products are vegan?

All of The Inkey List’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. See below for an example.

Browsing through The Inkey List’s website, I noticed in the ASKINKEY section of some of their product descriptions says:

“Is this product vegan?
This product contains no animal derivatives, however we are not yet vegan certified.”

I believe they included the disclaimer they’re not “vegan-certified” because they manufacture their products in a facility that produces non-vegan items where cross-contamination may occur.

Although there is no legal or official definition for the term “vegan”, I would consider cosmetics that do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products to be vegan.

So, I would consider any of The Inkey List products which are free from animal derivatives and by-products to be vegan. But if you’re severely allergic to an animal-based ingredient like beeswax or carmine, you may want to avoid The Inkey List.

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 The Inkey List products manufactured?

“Are products are manufactured in US, Canada and the UK.”

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 a company publicly addresses its mica mining policy, we have no way of knowing whether its mica is ethically sourced without child or forced labor.

So I asked The Inkey List if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by stating,