L’Oreal is a personal care company that was founded by Eugene Schueller in 1909 in France. Schueller has first developed Oreale, a hair dye formula, which he decided to sell to hairdressers from Paris. In 1919, he registered his company. Later, that company was renamed to L’Oreal. During that time, he worked with only three chemists. Thirty years later, the company had 100 chemists. Today, it has 82,000.
Over the years, L’Oreal became one of the biggest beauty companies in the world. It owns over 500 brands, which includes thousands of different cosmetics products. You can buy items from L’Oreal in all sorts of stores and in pharmacies and hair salons.
Is L’Oreal 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 |
No, L’Oreal is not cruelty-free.
L’Oreal completely stopped animal testing in 1989. Since then, the company hasn’t tested its finished products nor ingredients on animals. This makes it one of the pioneers in the cruelty-free world. In fact, L’Oreal was the company that developed Episkin. This reconstructed skin model is used in some alternative testing methods. However, L’Oreal lost its cruelty-free label once it expanded to China. This means they allowed third parties and suppliers to test on animals where it’s required by law.
Luckily, L’Oreal allows its brands to choose their own testing policies. In other words, a significant portion of L’Oreal-owned brands is cruelty-free. If a brand is owned by L’Oreal, you may still be able to support it as this doesn’t necessarily mean the brand sells to China or tests on animals. In fact, four of L’Oreal’s brands – NYX, Urban Decay, Pureology, and IT Cosmetics – are certified by PETA. Still, it is up to every individual to decide whether or not they’d want to support a brand that is owned by a company that tests on animals.
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Are L’Oreal products sold in China?
Yes, L’Oreal products are sold 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 L’Oreal Vegan?
No, L’Oreal is not vegan, although it does have several vegan products. Most of its formulas contain some animal by-products such as beeswax, carmine and lanoline.
However, L’Oreal does own some brands that have whole vegan collections, even though none of them are considered to be 100% vegan brands. If you are a vegan and you’d like to purchase some of L’Oreal’s products, be sure to check their ingredient list. However, as vegan should also be cruelty-free, it is up to debate whether or not any L’Oreal product can be considered vegan, even if they don’t contain animal-derived ingredients.
Who owns L’Oreal and does the parent company test on animals?
L’oreal is not owned by a parent company.
What products does L’Oreal sell?
Even though L’Oreal started as a hair dye company, it soon began developing all sorts of beauty and personal care products. Today, the company has various beauty lines. Its hair dyes and items for hair care, such as hair oils and shampoos, are famous worldwide. L’Oreal also has a famous makeup line. It has received praise for various cosmetics products that are used by professionals and makeup lovers alike.
L’Oreal has a fragrance and perfume line, as well. Some other items it sells include products for sun protection, hair styling, cleansers, and skincare.
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