Rimmel London is a cosmetics brand founded by Eugene Rimmel in 1834 in London, England. This makes it one of the oldest active makeup brands in the world.
Rimmel started the brand by opening a perfumery, but quickly expanded into creating various makeup products, including its best-seller, mascara. In fact, this brand gave rise to the term ‘rimmel,’ which is now used in many Mediterranean countries as a word to describe a mascara.
Today, Rimmel is known as one of the most popular makeup brands in the world. It collaborated with many celebrities, such as Kate Moss, Lily Cole, Cara Delevingne, and Zooey Deschanel. Its products are sold in supermarkets and pharmacies all across the world.
Is Rimmel Cruelty-Free?
| Not sold in China? | No |
| PETA Certified | No |
| Leaping Bunny Certified | No |
| Has vegan products | No |
| Not owned by a Parent Company that does Animal Testing? | No |
No, Rimmel is not a cruelty-free brand.
Rimmel doesn’t test any of its finished products on animals, as this is mandatory for all EU-based cosmetics brands. Their official animal testing policy doesn’t state anything about ingredients and formulations, which is concerning as most animal testing is typically done on the ingredients level. The brand also pays for third-party testing in countries where it is required for imported products. This shows that Rimmel doesn’t mind conducting animal tests when it brings them profit.
Rimmel claims to be working on a dialogue with the Chinese government to ban animal testing and promoting alternative testing methods. However, the brand still isn’t considered cruelty-free.
Suppose you like Rimmel’s products, but you can’t stand behind a brand that tests on animals. If this is the case, you can always contact the brand’s representatives and respectfully ask them to reconsider their animal testing policies. Just remember to stay respectful, as hate speech never accomplished anything.
Alternative Cruelty-Free Mascaras
Amazon.com
Alternative Cruelty-Free Lipsticks
Amazon.com
Are Rimmel products sold in China?
Yes, Rimmel sells its products in stores 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 Rimmel Vegan?
No, Rimmel is not a 100% vegan brand. Some of its products contain animal-derived ingredients and animal by-products, such as carmine, beeswax, and lanoline. It doesn’t have an official list of vegan products. As the brand isn’t cruelty-free, we wouldn’t consider anything it sells as vegan, anyway.
Who owns Rimmel and does the parent company test on animals?
Rimmel is owned by Coty, Inc., a multinational beauty company from the USA that is not cruelty-free. As Coty does own several cruelty-free brands, we can conclude that the decision to conduct animal testing was on Rimmel alone.
What products does Rimmel sell?
Rimmel is best known for its famous mascara collection, which is loved and praised by many makeup artists and average consumers worldwide. Other than mascaras, Rimmel also manufactures and sells various makeup products, such as powders, foundations, lipsticks, and eyeshadow palettes.
The brand also sells numerous other beauty products, such as mouth rinses, cleansers, and pomades.
Alternative Cruelty-Free Mascaras
Amazon.com
Alternative Cruelty-Free Lipsticks
Amazon.com
