Is Fenty Beauty Cruelty Free?
I have been asked over and over: Is Fenty Beauty is cruelty free? I have seen many people on social media saying they are cruelty free. Unfortunately, the brand hasn’t been very forthcoming on the issue.
Although Fenty Beauty has a really amazing shade range, and everyone is buzzing about the new line from Kendo, they will NOT get back to me to confirm that they are cruelty free. Kendo also owns Kat Von D Beauty, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Ole Henriksen, and Bite Beauty, which are cruelty free, so I’m hopeful that Fenty Beauty is actually cruelty free as well. Kendo is a brand incubator – it once was a division of Sephora, but is now owned by LVMH.
Yes, I know that Rihanna, has spoken out and said they are cruelty free, but until someone can answer my questions about ingredient suppliers and distribution, I sadly, cannot add the Fenty Beauty to my cruelty free brand list. I have reached out to them on Facebook, Twitter and via email. The customer service team eventually replied to my emails – and directed to me to their FAQ, which unfortunately doesn’t cover all the bases. I asked four more times, and each time I was ignored. I also contacted their PR team, and didn’t get a response.
Their FAQ says:
Does Fenty Beauty test on animals? Never. Fenty Beauty is a cruelty-free brand. We never test products or ingredients on animals, nor do we allow suppliers or affiliates to conduct testing on our behalf.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t address the fact that their ingredient suppliers and labs may be testing the ingredients for other brands (or testing ingredients to follow federal laws). Buying ingredients from labs that test on animals means your products are not cruelty free – even if they aren’t testing on your behalf. I also would like confirmation that the products are not distributed in mainland China or areas of Brazil that require animal testing by law.
Some of their products are vegan, however. From their FAQ:
The following products are considered vegan-friendly: Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Match Stix Matte Skinsticks, Invisimatte Blotting Powder, Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, and our Brushes & Tools.
I feel that there is a strong chance that Fenty Beauty is cruelty free, but until they answer my questions, I can’t be sure. It seems slightly suspect that they won’t reply, but in all reality it could just be that the customer service team is not trained to answer my more in-depth questions, and my question hasn’t made it to the top brass yet. If that’s the case Fenty – if you’re reading this, please contact me so we can set things straight!
For those of you who would like to try contacting them, here are the questions I ask to make sure a beauty brand is 100% cruelty free:
1. Are the finished products tested on animals by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company?
2. Are the products tested on animals during the production process by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company?
3. Do you have documents from your ingredient suppliers to show that they are not testing on animals for your brand or any other brand?
4. Does your manufacturer purchase any ingredients from laboratories that conduct tests on animals? Do you have documents to support this?
5. Are the products sold in any markets where animal testing is required by local law and regulations (China, etc)?
6. Are the products vegetarian? (no animals killed for the products – i.e. some forms of collagen, squalane, etc.)
7. Are the products vegan? (i.e. product ingredients that come from animals like lanolin, keratin, honey, milk, etc. – being vegan is NOT necessary for my blog, but a bonus for my vegan readers)
8. Is your company certified by Leaping Bunny? (It’s easy to get certified by Leaping Bunny and it’s free to join without licensing the logo.)
Wow, thank you so very much. For informing us. I am so against animal testing. And am not going to be purchasing any Fenty Beauty products. Just can not risk it. ???? @mybeautybunny you are so awesome.
Thank you for getting this information to us. It can be so confusing. I hope you hear back from them soon.
I like how thorough you are in investigating whether a brand is CF.
So many people just assume because they say they are cruelty free that it means that they are 100% cruelty free…too bad it’s not so simple. Kudos to you for insisting on cold hard facts and documentation.
Thanks Tamara – I try! I’ll update this if I find out anything new.
If they can’t answer a simple question like that then they obviously are avoiding the question because they aren’the animal cruelty free products in my opinion what a shame.
I think it’s wonderful that you hold these brands to account. This is one I haven’t used but I am curious as to what they say when they answer you.
It really can get confusing I guess. Thanks for always having some great ideas for great cruelty free products!
The other thing is that Rihanna regularly wears fur, so even if the line is 100% cruelty free, the profits are going to someone who supports cruelty to animals. Something to consider if you are trying to avoid that. I don’t think I could consider this line completely cruelty free for that reason.
Hi! Great article! I was wondering where in Brazil the law requires animal testing on cosmetics? I’ve never heard of that, we seem to be going the opposite way, actually, with two states banning animal tests on cosmetics. In my research I couldn’t find anything on other state laws. I need to know where so that I don’t purchase makeup in those places.
Hi Aline – you can contact Humane Society International for more information on the specific regions that require animal testing.
Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
One would think that if Fenty were unequivocally cruelty-free, they’d be eager to make it known.
I’m avoiding Fenty.