Is Lancome Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

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Is Lancome Cruelty-Free?

Lancome is NOT cruelty-free.

Is Lancome Vegan?

Lancome might have some products without animal-derived ingredients, but I don’t consider any of their products vegan since they test on animals.

Is Lancome Certified Cruelty-Free?

No, Lancome is not certified cruelty-free by a third-party organization, and PETA lists Lancome as a brand that tests on animals.

Is Lancome Owned By A Parent Company That Tests On Animals?

Yes, Lancome is owned by L’Oréal, which is not a cruelty-free brand.

L’Oréal’s Animal Testing Policy

L’Oréal has the following paragraph on their website:

“Cruelty-free” has no legal definition. Any brand can claim “cruelty-free” even if they do test on animals.

Some brands like to say that they are “cruelty-free” because it is a marketing buzzword to sell more products.

The only way to find out is to ask the company. One important question to ask is if their products are sold in China.

Animal Testing in China

Animal Testing is required by law in China for all foreign cosmetics companies. All American and European cosmetic brands that are sold in China must undergo animal testing.

Any brand that chooses to sell its products in China cannot be considered cruelty-free. Even products that can bypass mandatory tests may still be pulled from the shelves by Chinese authorities to be tested on animals.

This does NOT include products that are made in China, only if they are sold in China.

The only way to know if a brand sells products in China is to ask them directly. Make sure to note that Hong Kong is not included in this policy, and neither are products only sold online to Chinese consumers.

Is Lancome Sold in Mainland China?

Yes, Lancome is sold in mainland China.

This article talks about how Lancome has been the No. 1 best seller of high-end cosmetics in China since 2005. It also states that as of 2018, Lancome is sold in 272 stores in 115 cities throughout China.

Email to the Company

Before classifying any brand as cruelty-free and vegan, I send them an email with the following questions:

Are your products vegan? If only some are vegan, which ones?
Are any of your products or ingredients tested on animals?
Do you have a Leaping Bunny or PETA certification?
Do your suppliers or any third parties test animals on your behalf?
Does your company sell products in mainland China (except Hong Kong)?
Are you owned by a parent company that tests on animals?

Here is how Lancome responded:

The L’Oréal Group, which includes Lancôme, is always attentive to respecting the personal choices of its consumers throughout the world and therefore offers a very wide range of products to meet their diverse beauty needs.

L’Oréal does not use any ingredient from rare or endangered animal species, nor any ingredient of porcine, bovine or ovine origin; except lanolin (which is taken from live sheep). We use derivatives of raw materials of animal origin in restricted quantities, such as honey, beeswax, lanolin, as well as fish derivatives and poultry egg derivatives.

For more information on our products please visit www.lancome-usa.com for ingredients and more about each individual product listed.