You can find Urban Decay’s cruelty-free products at urbandecay.com, Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom.

Urban Decay is *Cruelty-Free

Urban Decay 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 Urban Decay to be *Cruelty-Free.

*Urban Decay is owned by L’Oreal, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free because they allow some of their other brands to test on animals.

It’s your choice whether you want to support or boycott cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that is not cruelty-free. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to this. I encourage you to do what you’re comfortable with, but I think it’s important to disclose that L’Oreal owns Urban Decay.

Below is a screenshot of what is currently stated on Urban Decay’s website:

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

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

Here’s the response from Urban Decay when I asked them if they sell in China:

“please be advised that none of Urban Decay’s products are sold in China.”

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.

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

How to know which of Urban Decay’s products are vegan?

All of Urban Decay’s vegan products are clearly marked on their website. See below for an example.

Urban Decay Vegan Product List

As of 2021, I will no longer be regularly updating this list of Urban Decay vegan products as all of their vegan products are now clearly marked. Check their website for the most up-to-date and accurate information on which products are vegan or not.

Below is a list of Urban Decay’s products that are suitable for vegans and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Face

• All Nighter Face Primer
• All Nighter Liquid Foundation
• All Nighter Pollution Protection Makeup Setting Spray
• All Nighter Setting Spray
• All Nighter Ultra Glow Face Primer
• All Nighter Ultra Glow Setting Spray
• All Nighter Waterproof Full-Coverage Concealer
• All Nighter Waterproof Setting Powder
• B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Priming Spray
• Beached Bronzer
• Chill Cooling and Hydrating Makeup Setting Spray
• De-Slick Complexion Primer
• De-Slick Mattifying Powder
• De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray
• Naked Illuminated
• Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid
• Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector
• Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer
• Optical Illusion Complexion Primer
• Quick Fix Hydra-Charged Complexion Prep Priming Spray
• Scented Sparkling
• Stay Naked Correcting Concealer
• Stay Naked Face & Lip Tint
• Stay Naked Pro Customizer
• Stay Naked The Fix
• Stay Naked Threesome
• Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation
• Stoned Vibes Eyeshadow Palette
• Stoned Vibes Highlighting Powder
• Stoned Vibes Major Gems Makeup Set
• The Ultimate Brush Off
• The Velvetizer

Eyes & Brows

• 24/7 Velvet Black Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil
• Brow Beater
• Brow Blade
• Brow Endowed
• Brow Finish Gel
• Double Down Brow
• Eyeshadow Primer Potion
• Heavy Metal Glitter Gel
• Inked Brow
• Perversion Waterproof Fine-Point Eye Pen
• Stoned Vibes 24/7 Glide-on Eyeliner Pencil
• Stoned Vibes Eyeshadow Palette
• Wired Transforming Liner

Lips

• Lip Plumper
• Lo-Fi Lip Mousse
• Moondust Lip Eclipse
• Stay Naked Face & Lip Tint
• Stoned Vibes Multidimensional Lip Gloss
• Vice Lip Chemistry
• Vice Lipstick Chemistry Trio
• Wired Vice Lip Chemistry

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 Urban Decay’s products made?

Urban Decay won’t disclose where their products are made. When I asked the brand, they responded and told me:

“Please be advised that our products are created all over the globe, making it difficult to know where exactly a certain product is manufactured.”

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 Urban Decay if their mica is ethically sourced without the use of child labor and they responded by referencing their parent company, L’Oreal’s mica sourcing policy which states

“today, 99% of our mica comes from completely verified sources. L’Oréal is a founding member of the Responsible Mica Initiative and is committed to ending child labour practices and improving the working conditions of Indian communities whose livelihoods depend on mica.”

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