Balea was launched in 1995 as one of the brands of DM-Drogerie Markt, the biggest drugstore brand in Germany. It quickly became known all across Europe because of its affordable yet high-quality personal care products.
Today, Balea is one of Europe’s most reputable drugstore brands. Its products are manufactured in Germany, as well as Switzerland. This is additional proof of quality. Balea is sold not only in DM stores but also in various pharmacies and other drugstores. It’s considered to be one of the most popular DM brands.
Is Balea Cruelty-Free?
| Not sold in China? | Yes |
| PETA Certified | No(*) |
| Leaping Bunny Certified | No(*) |
| Has vegan products | Yes |
| Not owned by a Parent Company that does Animal Testing? | Yes |
Yes, Balea is cruelty-free.
Balea is firmly against animal testing of any sort. All of its finished products, ingredients, and formulations are cruelty-free and tested on volunteers. At the same time, the brand doesn’t pay any third-party to conduct these tests on its behalf, and none of its suppliers test on animals as well.
PETA doesn’t certify Balea, and it doesn’t have the Leaping Bunny label. This shouldn’t cause any concerns, though, as various German organizations and regulations confirm it(*).
Best Selling Balea Products
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Are Balea products sold in China?
No, Balea’s products aren’t sold in mainland China.
Since 2018, however, they can be ordered online via services such as Tmall Global or Alibaba. As only products sold in stores in China fall under Chinese animal testing regulations, this enables the brand to remain entirely cruelty-free.
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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 Balea Vegan?
Balea is not a vegan brand. Although it has some vegan products, most of its items are made from animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products, such as lanolin, carmine, and beeswax. Vegan products are labeled with a V letter, so you can easily distinguish them from the rest of the items.
Simultaneously, Balea’s items are natural and organic and don’t contain parabens, petroleum or silicone derivates, and similar, non-healthy ingredients.
Who owns Balea and does the parent company test on animals?
Balea is owned by the German drugstore chain DM-Drogerie. DM is a cruelty-free company, and all of its brands are cruelty-free as well.
DM got into a controversy in 2018 when it announced most of the company’s brands and products would start selling in China. However, this only included online sales; thus, the company can still be considered entirely cruelty-free.
What products does Balea sell?
Balea has over 450 various personal care products. Its items are designed with the idea that every person requires individual care, depending on multiple factors such as age, gender, skin and hair type, and similar.
The brand sells products such as hair care and styling products, hair removal products, skincare, it even has its own makeup line! At the same time, it has a deodorant and antiperspirants line. All of its deodorants are entirely natural and healthy, making them perfect for people with sensitive skin or consumers who vary of antiperspirants.
Best Selling Balea Products
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Hi. Just to let you know that DM brands such as Balea and Alverde are sold in China through online shop Tmall. You can find the reply they sent me below:
https://crueltyfreemalta.com/2021/03/03/balea-cruelty-free/
Thank you,
Fiona