Is TONYMOLY Cruelty-Free?

🐰 TONY MOLY is a cruelty-free brand. None of TONYMOLY’s ingredients or products are tested on animals. TONYMOLY has met all the criteria in our Cruelty-Free Checklist and is included in our Cruelty-Free Directory.

Does TONYMOLY Test on Animals?

When asking, does TONYMOLY test on animals? We must look beyond to ensure none of TONYMOLY’s ingredients or suppliers test on animals. And they don’t sell in any country or under conditions that may require animal testing by law.

In our research, we discovered the following:

• ✓ TONYMOLY confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals or ask others to test on their behalf.
• ✓ TONYMOLY confirmed all their ingredient suppliers do not test on animals
• ✓ TONYMOLY confirmed they do not allow or sell their products under conditions where animal testing is required by law

By meeting all of our Cruelty-Free Criteria, TONYMOLY is a truly cruelty-free brand by our standards.

What is TONYMOLY’s Animal Testing Policy?

Below is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on TONYMOLY’s website about its animal testing policy:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

TONYMOLY has confirmed they no longer sell their products in retail stores in mainland China and therefore they are not required to test on animals.

Below is a snippet of the response I received from TONYMOLY:

“To be fully transparent, China does require all imported cosmetics to be tested on animals and you are right that our products in China did not get exempted from that requirement.

However, we acknowledge it is a serious issue and we’re happy to let you know that as of last year, we have stopped importing our products into China’s market which led to the end of Tony Moly products being tested on animals 🙂“

With the current changes to China’s animal testing laws, some cosmetics sold in China can be exempt from animal testing under certain conditions. However, without meeting those conditions, animal testing is still legally required for most cosmetics sold in China in 2023.

Is TONYMOLY Certified Cruelty-Free?

TONYMOLY is certified cruelty-free by PETA, but NOT certified by Leaping Bunny.

Cruelty-Free Policies 2023

Just because a brand claims it is ‘Cruelty-Free,’ doesn’t always mean that’s the case.

That’s because 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.

How We Assess Cruelty-Free Policies

Since 2015, the start of my blog, I’ve been emailing companies asking about their animal testing policies and cruelty-free commitments.

And based on the responses I receive from companies, I’ll research to find any supporting facts needed before concluding whether the brand should be classified as “Cruelty-Free,” “Animal-Tested,” or “Grey Area – Unclear Policies.”

☕️ Every week, I continue to reach out to new brands while trying my best to keep current brands updated. If you found any of my posts or guides helpful, consider Buying Me A Coffee! I would greatly appreciate it! ❤️

What about Vegan?

Just because something is called Cruelty-Free, doesn’t always mean it’s Vegan. And vice versa.

Cruelty-Free only refers to no animal testing, while Vegan means formulated without animal products.

Some brands are Cruelty-Free, but not Vegan.

And some are Vegan, but not Cruelty-Free.

Another important distinction to know is, Vegan in cosmetics can refer to an entire brand is 100% Vegan or a specific product is Vegan.

Is TONYMOLY Vegan?

⭐️ TONYMOLY is NOT an entirely vegan brand. But TONYMOLY offers some vegan options that are free of animal products.

How to know which of TONYMOLY products are vegan?

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

The following is a screenshot of what’s currently stated on TONYMOLY’s website about its vegan claims:

TONYMOLY claims their products are not officially certified-vegan, however, they do offer some products that don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Note that although TONYMOLY’s products are not officially certified vegan by a third-party certification, doesn’t mean their products can’t be vegan. TONYMOLY mentions this in their vegan statement to let consumers know their products may be manufactured in a facility that makes other non-vegan products.

By our standards, as long as the products don’t contain animal-based ingredients or by-products, then we would consider them to vegan.

Where to buy TONYMOLY? Check out Amazon, Ulta, Soko Glam, and Urban Outfitters!

Vegan Policies

Similar to ‘Cruelty-Free,’ there is no standard or legal definition for the label ‘Vegan.’ But Vegan is generally used to mean formulated without animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.

Some common animal products 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 unless a brand explicitly labels its ingredients or product as Vegan, it’s often 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 chose were from non-animal sources.

Where are TONYMOLY’s products made?

TONYMOLY states on its webiste,

“Where are your products made?
All of our products are made in Korea! We source the highest quality ingredients from all over the world, including some global exclusive ingredients. And we develop innovative concoctions at our own R&D lab. We also have our own manufacturing facility, which allows us to deliver high quality products at an affordable price. We’ve been doing this for 10 years so I guess you can say we know what we’re doing when it comes to beauty. You can learn more about our history at our About Us page.”

Ethical Mica Mining Policy

Mica is a mineral 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 TONYMOLY if their mica is ethically sourced without child labor. They responded back saying they’ll pass this information to their team and will get back to me. But I never heard back from the brand again.

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I hope this article helped you to understand TONYMOLY’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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