Avene is a skincare brand that was officially founded in 1975 when Pierre Fabre Laboratories bought the Hydrotherapy Center on the Avene Thermal Spring. Avene Thermal Springs lies on the banks of Orb River, located in southern France. The Thermal Spring is known ever since the 18th century as being therapeutic for people suffering from skin conditions such as eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and burns. The Avene Hydrotherapy Center was founded in 1966. Still, it wasn’t until its acquisition by Pierre Fabre Laboratories that it was officially considered a brand.
Avene launched its first line of skincare products in 1990, which helped make Avene a worldwide brand. In 2005, its new Hydrotherapy Center expanded, becoming one of the biggest in the area.
Is expanded Cruelty-Free?
| Not sold in China? | No |
| PETA Certified | No |
| Leaping Bunny Certified | No |
| Has vegan products | Yes |
| Not owned by a Parent Company that does Animal Testing? | No |
Avene is not cruelty-free.
Avene doesn’t test its finished products on animals. None of its ingredients and formulations haven’t been tested on animals, as well. This is complicit to the EU laws and regulations that forbid animal testing. Avene claims that all of its products are tested on human volunteers and their ‘skin culture laboratory.’ Avene does, however, pay a third-party to conduct these tests on its behalf in countries where animal testing is required by law. As such, Avene isn’t certified by PETA nor The Leaping Bunny.
Suppose you like Avene’s products but can’t support a brand that isn’t cruelty-free. In that case, you can always contact Avene’s representatives and ask them to reconsider their animal testing policies. Just remember to be polite and kind, as hate speech never accomplished anything.
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Are expanded products sold in China?
Yes, Avene sells its products in mainland China.
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What is the Deal with China?
Even though animal testing is proven to be an unnecessary and unethical practice, some countries still require it by law. This is the case with the second-biggest market in the world, China.
China requires any beauty product to be tested on animals before allowing importation and being sold in Chinese stores. Any company or brand that makes the decision to sell in China has also decided to test on animals – either by themselves or, usually, by paying a third-party company to test on their behalf. This is the main reason why a lot of brands can’t achieve a true cruelty-free status. After growing public outrage, China did lift some regulations in 2014, which allowed certain beauty products, such as shampoos and other skincare items, to be imported without testing, but this is still a small percentage.
A lot of brands that claim to be cruelty-free are being misleading thanks to these laws. Even if a brand doesn’t conduct animal testing on its own, by deciding to take the opportunity and sell in countries such as China, it is allowing a third-party to test the final product on animals. This is why PETA and the Leaping Bunny Program have forbidden brands that they certify to expand their market in this direction – and rightfully so.
A lot of companies are working with the Chinese government on lifting these regulations, and legislation was proposed in 2019 that should stop mandatory animal testing. However until today, no substantial progress has been made in this regard, we continue to wait patiently.
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Is expanded Vegan?
Yes, Avene’s products are mostly vegan. In other words, they don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products. A very few of them do contain some non-vegan ingredients, such as lanoline and beeswax. However, as Avene isn’t a cruelty-free brand, it is a question whether or not anything produced by them can be considered vegan. For a product to be fully vegan, it mustn’t be tested on animals.
Who owns expanded and does the parent company test on animals?
Avene is owned by Pierre Fabre Laboratories, a not cruelty-free brand as it sells its products in mainland China. Sadly, Avene chose to adhere to animal testing policies of its parent company.
What products does expanded sell?
Avene sells various skincare products aimed towards people with sensitive skin and skin conditions such as eczema, acne, dermatitis and psoriasis. In 2015, it introduced a sun protection line, expanding the type of products it sells.
Despite being a France-based brand, many of Avene’s products are mostly exclusive to the US audience. They don’t have physical stores in the Europe, but can still be found in many pharmacy stores.
Alternative Cruelty-Free Eczema Creams
Amazon.com
Alternative Cruelty-Free Sunscreens
Amazon.com
