Vichy is a cosmetics and skincare brand founded in 1931 by Dr. Haller, a medical director of a SPA treatment center that was located in Vichy, France. Dr. Haller claimed that only people with healthy skin could be considered truly beautiful.
Dr. Haller used Vichy Thermal Water to create products for healthier skin. Vichy uses advanced dermatological expertise of its pharmacists and developers to create its praised and well-received products. According to the brand’s website, their innovative products undergo up to 200 tests to ensure good results.
Today, Vichy’s products are sold in stores and pharmacies in over 60 countries all across the globe.
Is Vichy 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 |
Vichy is not cruelty-free.
As it’s the European brand, Vichy doesn’t test its finished products on animals. It also doesn’t test its ingredients and formulations on animals. They claim all their products are tested on over 5000 human volunteers, mostly women. However, the brand does pay a third-party to conduct animal tests on its behalf in countries where animal testing is required by law. This also means that Vichy isn’t certified by PETA or The Leaping Bunny.
If you like Vichy’s products but can’t support a company that isn’t cruelty-free, you can always choose to contact the brand and respectfully ask its representatives to change its animal testing policies. Just remember to be kind and polite, as hate speech never accomplished anything.
Alternative Cruelty-Free Moisturizers
Amazon.com
Alternative Cruelty-Free Night Creams
Amazon.com
Are Vichy products sold in China?
Yes, Vichy sells its products in stores in mainland China.
[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 Vichy Vegan?
No, Vichy isn’t a vegan brand. Most of its products contain animal-derived ingredients and animal by-products, such as lanolin and beeswax. It isn’t known whether or not some of its products are vegan friendly, as they aren’t visibly labeled. You’d have to take a careful look at the ingredients to know if the product is safe to use by vegans. As Vichy isn’t a cruelty-free brand, though, we would never advertise anything created by them as vegan.
Who owns Vichy and does the parent company test on animals?
Vichy is owned by L’Oreal, an international cosmetics company that isn’t cruelty-free. L’Oreal does, however, allow the brands it owns to choose their own animal testing policies. This means that Vichy made its own decision to sell in countries where animal testing is mandatory.
What products does Vichy sell?
Vichy sells several skincare lines. Liftactiv, for example, is known for being some of the best-selling anti-aging franchises on the market. Neovadiol, on the other hand, reduces signs of hormonal aging and hydrates skin. ProEven fixes dark spots and different kinds of discoloration on the skin. At the same time, Aqualia Thermal hydrates the skin using thermal water from the Vichy Thermal Springs.
Alternative Cruelty-Free Moisturizers
Amazon.com
Alternative Cruelty-Free Night Creams
Amazon.com
