Morphe was created in 2008 in Los Angeles, California US, by siblings Chris and Linda Tawil. It is a primarily an online brand that does the best it can to create high-quality items at an affordable price.
Morphe remained mostly unnoticeable until it started collaborating with social media influencers, such as James Charles, Jaclyn Hill, and Jeffree Star, all of whom they consider to be their ‘Morphe Babes’. Since then, they have created several dozen collaborative make-up products and have become an iconic brand amongst creative make-up lovers. This brand is advertised as being a ‘choice for the Instagram generation’, which is why there is a high chance that you haven’t even heard of it unless you don’t follow various influencers or if you are consider yourself to be a bit ‘old school’.
Today, Morphe is one of the most-loved brands worldwide, but especially in the US.
Is Morphe 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 |
Morphe is considered to be cruelty-free, although there have been some inconsistencies within its statements and overall status. The brand’s official policy states that the brand is 100% cruelty-free, but there have been various controversies that made people question its honesty. For example, their brushes use real animal hair, which is something that caused a lot of discussions about the ethics behind using the hair from a live animal.
The brand doesn’t test the final product nor the ingredients on animals. Instead, they conduct tests on volunteers, when necessary. Also, they don’t use a third-party to test in their name.
Morphe as a brand is not certified by PETA nor the Leaping Bunny, but some of their collaborative pallets, such as their Jeffree Star one, have been approved by the latter. On the other hand, they have met the Free The Bunnies standard of being cruelty-free.
Best Selling Morphe Products
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Are Morphe products sold in China?
No, Morphe doesn’t sell its products in Chinese stores. However, it is possible to dropship the product to China, which makes it possible to avoid animal testing laws.
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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 Morphe Vegan?
This is one of many reasons why Morphe has been in the center of various scandals.
According to its website, the brand is 100% vegan. This is true for most of the make-up products the brand manufactures, as they are mostly made without any animal by-products. However, several of their older pallets did contain carmine and lanolin, but they have fixed this with their newer products.
The problem comes with their famous brushes. Most of Morphe’s brush sets are made with real animal hair. Even some of the sets that are labeled as ‘vegan’ or ‘synthetic’ contain animal hair mixed with synthetic fibers. We would recommend double-checking every set that you wish to buy, just to make sure.
[amazon bestseller=”Morphe Vegan” items=”2″ template=”table”]
What products does Morphe sell?
Morphe produces high-quality cosmetics that are sold at affordable prices. They are known for their professional brushes, which are considered to be some of the best brushes that you can find at that price range. They have expanded their audience by creating make-up collaborations with online influencers.
Today, Morphe sells a variety of products, but they have been especially successful with their eyeshadow palettes and blinding highlighters. Despite the controversy, they are one of the biggest online make-up brands in the world.
Best Selling Morphe Products
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
