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Is Schwarzkopf Cruelty-Free and Vegan? - The Vegan Abroad Skip to Content

Is Schwarzkopf Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

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Schwarzkopf Products

Is Schwarzkopf Cruelty-Free?

Schwarzkopf is NOT cruelty-free.

Is Schwarzkopf Vegan?

Schwarzkopf might have some vegan products, but I don’t consider any of their products vegan since they test on animals.

Is Schwarzkopf PETA Certified?

No, Schwarzkopf is not PETA certified, and PETA lists Schwarzkopf as a company that tests on animals.

Is Schwarzkopf Leaping Bunny Certified?

No, Schwarzkopf is not Leaping Bunny Certified.

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

Yes, Schwarzkopf is owned by Henkel, a company that tests on animals.

Henkel’s Animal Testing Policy

Schwarzkopf’s parent company, Henkel, has a page on their website about animal testing with the following paragraph:

Henkel's Cruelty-Free Claims

“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 Schwarzkopf Sold in Mainland China?

From reading Henkel’s animal testing policy, it is safe to assume that Schwarzkopf products are sold in mainland China.

Vegan and Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Schwarzkopf

Bleach London

Bleach London is a cruelty-free and vegan brand that sells bleach, color, and hair care products.

Brite Organix

Brite Organix is a cruelty-free and vegan brand that creates ethical hair color products and partners with ethical factories that take care of the people they employ.

Dae Hair

Amber Fillerup Clark, the famous blogger and Instagram mom, created dae in January 2020. Amber has two hair companies: Barefoot Blonde Hair and Dae Hair. Her home state of Arizona is what inspired her to create dae, a vegan and cruelty-free brand. The name, Dae, is an acronym for dawn, afternoon, and evening.

Naturtint

Naturtint is a vegan and cruelty-free brand that sells permanent hair colors, root retouch, and color care products that are made with cleaner formulas that promote healthier skin and hair.

Olaplex

Olaplex is a cruelty-free and vegan brand that creates hair products that are designed to restore damaged or compromised hair.

Shop the full list of 100% cruelty-free and vegan brands.

Email to the Company

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

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

Here is how Schwarzkopf responded:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding Henkel’s Animal Testing policy.
Henkel does not test our cosmetic products on animals. This applies to both the products for home use available in the market and professional products used in hair salons. We use recognized, alternative testing methods or existing data to demonstrate the safety of our cosmetic ingredients. For almost 40 years, we have been committed to the development and recognition of alternative methods in many different ways. Some countries still test certain cosmetic products from our assortment on animals to obtain market registration. We are working with national and European associations to convince the authorities in these countries to cease testing cosmetic products on animals. To learn more about our commitment please visit our website: https://www.henkel.com/brands-and-businesses/beauty-care/research-and-development/animal-testing#Tab-982954_3  

We are not considered vegan.  The color cream in our Keratin Color kits contains Keratin which we are most certain is derived from sheep/lamb wool, however, we cannot 100% guarantee the source. Please note that the Keratin Color Pre-Treatment contains Hydrolyzed Collagen, which has been known to come from many sources such as animals and/or fish. 

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