Versed

Last Updated: January 5, 2022

How Ethical Is Versed?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here’s a summary of Versed Skincare’s ethics and initiatives.

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Ethical Analysis

Is Versed cruelty-free, vegan, or sustainable? We’ve got the answers here! Read below for more details on Versed’s policies.
Versed Skincare is cruelty-free. None of Versed’s ingredients, formulations, or finished products are tested on animals anywhere in the world.
All of Versed’s products are 100% vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
In 2020, Versed reached net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since their launch through more energy efficient transportation methods and increased domestic product and purchased 2,600 tonnes of UN-certified carbon offsets. And they also offset 100% of carbon emissions associated with shipping orders and marketing packages. Versed claim to be working towards becoming Climate Neutral Certified.

In addition, Versed is committed to reducing landfill waste, their packaging is a mix of post-consumer recycled plastic, recyclable materials, and alternative packaging made from 97% less material than traditional designs.

They’ve also started adding Sustainable Product Attributes on each product page outlining its recyclability, percentage of PCR content, country of origin, and more. As well as, listing and calculating each product’s Waste Footprint which shows how much waste each product is expected to leave behind in consideration of its % PCR and recyclability.
Versed Skincare claims their mica is ethically sourced without child labor.
60% of Versed product packaging is made from recyclable plastic and currently, 40% post-consumer recycled plastic. They claim they’re working to increase the percentage of PCR and recycled content of their packaging. And their boxes are made from FSC-certified paper.

Versed has a Recycling Guide with instructions on how to recycle their current product packaging.

In addition, Versed uses zero-waste shippers for all orders, including recyclable box made from PCR material, printed with recycle-friendly ink, and SFI-certified packing paper.

About Versed

Versed Skincare considers itself as the cleanest drugstore skincare brand offering cleansers, moisturizers, serums, masks, peels, and treatments for under $20.
COMPANY BASED IN: USA
PRODUCTS MADE IN: Thailand, USA
PRODUCTS: Skincare
CERTIFICATIONS: Leaping Bunny, Cruelty Free International

Versed

This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

You can find Versed cruelty-free products at versedskin.com, Target, and Cult Beauty.

Versed is Cruelty-Free

Versed 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 Versed to be Cruelty-Free.

Below is what’s currently stated on Versed’s website about it’s vegan and cruelty-free status:

Is Versed Cruelty-Free & Vegan?

What About China’s Animal Testing Laws?

Versed 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.

Versed is 100% Vegan

Versed has confirmed all of its products are vegan and don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

What We Recommend:

We recommend the following Versed vegan skincare products to try out!

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 Versed’s products made?

When I emailed to ask Versed where their products are made, they told me:

“First off, thank you for your interest in Versed! Secondly, the answer to your question is simple: We go where the best formulas are. We work with a number of labs in Thailand and all over the USA. The reason some of our products are made in Thailand is because that specific lab produced the best formula.

Beyond the quality of the products, rest assured all of our manufacturers are held to high ethical and environmental standards and are committed to a comprehensive set of good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Our GMPs include requirements around product safety, safe and fair labor, and environmental stewardship.”

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

“Thank you so much for reaching out, this is such a great question. 

Currently 2 of our products contain mica. The mica from Zero-G is sourced from the US, and the mica from Keep the Peace is sourced from India. Both are sustainably sourced, and never with child labor. Please fee free to read more about the steps taken to ensure this here and information on the coalition that they are a part of here.


I hope this article helped you to understand Versed’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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