Burt’s Bees is a personal care brand from America. It was founded in 1984 in Maine, USA. In the beginning, it created candles and it was a result of a partnership between Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby. In 1991 the company became incorporated and extended its products line, still focusing mostly on wax-based products. Their lip balm quickly became a best-seller.
In 1993, Shawitz left the company, which reoriented and started focusing exclusively on beauty products. Over the years, they expanded their products list and even started manufacturing toothpaste and shampoo. Today, Burt’s Bees products are sold worldwide.
Is Burt’s Bees Cruelty-Free?
| Not sold in China? | Yes |
| PETA Certified | No |
| Leaping Bunny Certified | Yes |
| Has vegan products | No |
| Not owned by a Parent Company that does Animal Testing? | No |
Yes, Burt’s Bees is cruelty-free!
Burt’s Bees is certified by the Leaping Bunny, the label that demands extensive proofs about a company’s cruelty-free claims. None of its formulation, ingredients, or finished products are animal tested. At the same time, they don’t use third-party testing and don’t pay anyone to test on their behalf.
All of Burt’s Bees products have the Leaping Bunny label printed visibly on their packaging. The company is extremely dedicated to advocating animal rights and preventing cruelty. In fact, it has a partnership with The Nature Conservancy, which is an international organization that is working on protection and conservation of the environment.
Best Selling Burt’s Bees Products
Amazon.com
Are Burt’s Bees products sold in China?
No, Burt’s Bees products aren’t sold in mainland China. They are only sold via eCommerce, which doesn’t fall under Chinese government testing regulations.
In 2015, however, four of Burt’s Bees was sold in China for a limited time. The company claims that it never earned any money from this and that the sale was strictly an experiment to prevent a counterfeit that was ongoing in China. Also, as those products were non-special use cosmetics, they were exempt from animal testing, as in 2014 the Chinese government changed the law so that some non-specialty cosmetics didn’t have to be tested.
[epcl_box type=”information”]
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.
[/epcl_box]
Is Burt’s Bees Vegan?
Unfortunately, Burt’s Bees is not vegan.
Despite the brand being cruelty-free, none of its products are suitable for vegans. Most of the items they sell contain milk, honey, lanolin, carmine, and royal jelly. All of those are clearly listed on the ingredients list, so there is no way for anyone to get confused.
Who owns Burt’s Bees and does the parent company test on animals?
Burt’s Bees is owned by The Clorox, which has bought the company in 2007. Clorox is not a cruelty-free brand. The company doesn’t test on animals by itself, but it sells its products in China, which means that they conduct third-party testing when required by law.
What products does Burt’s Bees sell?
Despite starting as a candle-making company, Burt’s Bees now sells non-specialty beauty products and cosmetics. All of its items are made with natural ingredients and they use as little processing as possible to maintain the ingredients’ purity. Every product has a special ‘natural bar’ that shows the percentage of organic ingredients.
Today, Burt’s Bees sells shampoos, lip balms, shampoos, and skin care products. In 2017, they introduced a cosmetics line that has mascara, foundation, blush, eyeshadows and other makeup products.
Best Selling Burt’s Bees Products
