Is Tarte cruelty free? Read our in depth article to find out everything you need to know about Tarte being cruelty free and what it means.
Maureen Kelly, founder of Tarte; Image Source: Style.com
I just learned today that Tarte has been sold to KOSE, a non-cruelty free Japanese brand. Some of you have voiced concern that Tarte will no longer be cruelty free. Nothing is ever black and white. Whether or not you continue to buy Tarte is a personal decision, but I wanted to share my personal opinion on the matter.
This is no different than the myriad of cruelty free companies who are owned by larger companies like The Body Shop, Burt’s Bees, NARS, Tom’s of Maine, bareMinerals, Urban Decay, etc. Leaping Bunny and PETA support these companies as long as they maintain cruelty free practices, and so do I.
With so many larger companies swallowing up smaller companies, this is getting to be more and more common. The benefit of cruelty free brands working with these large companies is that they get broader distribution and will be more widely available. Many readers tell me that they wish there were more cruelty free brands available where they live, at drugstores, etc. Well, money makes the world go round and this is how these brands get to the masses.
Here’s another way to look at it. I shop at Sephora and ULTA. They carry many cruelty free brands and many brands that are NOT cruelty free. Sephora’s house brand is sold in China, and therefore, not cruelty free. That doesn’t mean I will stop shopping there. I will purchase the cruelty free brands, and hopefully (we will) show Sephora and ULTA (and other stores) that there is a strong consumer demand for cruelty free products. If you’re vegan, do you avoid grocery stores that sell meat? I doubt it. But you’re still putting money into the hands of the grocers who do sell meat. Same thing. You can’t live in a bubble. There’s no way to live a perfect life.
I totally respect those of you who disagree with my opinion. Please check my list of cruelty free brands. I update it regularly, and I note which brands are owned by non-cruelty free companies.
Here is the Maureen Kelly, founder of Tarte’s, message (from Tarte’s Facebook page):
Hey tartelettes – It’s Maureen
I’ve been reading your comments and concerns over the past hour and wanted to let you know I hear them all loud and clear. I promise, I’m not going anywhere. I started tarte out of my one bedroom apartment and I’m still just as passionate about making innovative, eco-friendly products that deliver real results. I’ll still be in the office every day working with my team to develop new products I hope you’ll love as much as I do. Remember, tarte will NOT be testing on animals, or EVER test on animals. We are a cruelty-free company and will remain one. KOSÉ is completely on board with our position as an eco-friendly, cruelty-free company and has given tarte such a great opportunity to grow and expand around the world. It’s really an exciting time and we can’t wait to reach more tartelettes worldwide. Please look at the checklist below and be assured tarte is in great hands.
· We will remain a cruelty-free beauty brand focused on high-performance naturals™
· We will continue to manufacture our high-quality products to our exacting standards, which means our formulas will continue to be formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, and gluten
· We will continue to formulate with good-for-you ingredients like Amazonian clay, maracuja, minerals, colored clay, superfruits and vitamins
· With my team, we will continue to innovate and create products we believe tartelettes will love
· We will continue to expand internationally where are our high standards are met—we can’t wait to reach more tartelettes worldwide!
I’m with you. I will support companies who profess to remain cruelty free, even if they’re bought by a larger brand. Hopefully they will be a role model to other brands and they will also become cruelty free. We have to start somewhere!
That’s actually a very good point, I totally agree.
Agreed and well said.
I’m vegan, and I buy my food from grocery stores that sell meat because I need food to live. I don’t need high end makeup, so I say goodbye to Tarte.
Great reply, sendmorecops. The profits from Urban Decay and now tarte are going to companies that conduct cruel tests on animals. I refuse to give money to those companies.
Totally agree with you.
I’m sorry to say I disagree with you, Jen. I argue that continuing to purchase from “cruelty-free” brands that are owned by companies that test does NOT show that there is a demand for cruelty-free companies, but rather that consumers will continue to purchase products regardless of whether their money goes to supporting companies that test. This shows other companies that are currently cruelty-free that it’s okay should they decide to succumb to greed and sell to a testing company. As much as we may hate to believe or admit it, funds from purchasing brands like Urban Decay, NARS, and now Tarte go to TESTING companies, not to cruelty free companies. And as long as these companies receive consumer support, they will continue their inhumane practices. We are showing them that there is no reason to change their ways. I will not be a part of it.
“And as long as these companies receive consumer support, they will continue their inhumane practices. We are showing them that there is no reason to change their ways.” Exactly! Tarte may claim they will stay cruelty-free but the money from their products will go toward KOSÉ animal testing (and cruelty) practices. Supporting cruelty-free subsidiaries of parent companies that test on animals will not change anything. It anything it gives the parent company a green card to continue with their nasty animal testing practices while reaping the benefits of cruelty-free revenues. We need outright boycotts from the bottom to the top not just the top to the bottom. Bye Tarte. It was fun while it lasted.
That is one of the best rebuttals to that tiresome and overused analogy of “If you’re vegan, do you avoid grocery stores that sell meat?” Humans need food to stay alive. Humans do not need cosmetics to stay alive. There’s a huge difference in being forced to shop in a grocery store that sells meat products (especially if you live in a small city or rural area) and making the choice to not purchase from companies that do animal testing.
Why can’t you buy all your veggies at a farmer’s market or store that doesn’t sell meat? Do you also avoid Sephora, ULTA, Walgreens, Duane Reade, CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, Target and every department store on the planet? Because they sell products that aren’t cruelty free. You can do whatever you feel is best, but my point is that you can’t live a completely cruelty free lifestyle. Everyone has a line to draw in the sand, and you draw yours wherever you like. I support companies that are 100% cruelty free but happen to be owned by companies that are not. Would I prefer that EVERY company be cruelty free? OF COURSE! I will keep fighting until that happens.
I use cruelty-free products, and I feel that it is very annoying when brands are suddenly being bought over or change their policies. As much as we all are unhappy and boycott, I don’t think it’ll make such a huge difference because I think that we are a very small community. To these companies it’s just a handful of us that could be ignored while they continue with their disgusting animal testing policies, catering to the larger population of people who don’t really care, and I think that’s really sad. After all, a company is set up to make business, to earn money and profit. Unless more of the population can actually stand up to this practice, I doubt many companies will make the change.
In addition to that, any clothing brand that has ever sold leather, silk, or wool? Highly doubtful. Pick your battles, people! It is completely possible to support a cruelty-free brand owned by a non-cruelty-free parent company and have the parent company realize how much demand there is for cruelty-free products. I would love for this to happen. If enough people do this, the cruelty-free sector of the company will begin to overpower the non-cruelty-free sector and we will saturate the market even more. This way, more people who do not care, will end up buying the products as well! It would create a ripple effect. You guys need to look at the bigger picture. We all eventually want the market to become saturated with cruelty-free products, don’t we? People who don’t necessarily care will be buying this stuff too! We can only achieve this by using our money strategically!
Nope. Can’t do it. I won’t support a company who is part of a larger company that condones animal testing.
It’s my preference to avoid cruelty free companies that are owned by non-CF parent companies, since there are so many completely cruelty free options out there. As an added bonus the totally CF companies are usually the “little guys,” and I’d rather support them over the huge conglomerates anyway. Does it mean that I have to go a little further out of my way sometimes? Sure. I spend a lot of time ordering cosmetics online since I’ve made the CF switch, which is way more of a pain in the butt than popping into Ulta on my way home from work, but it wasn’t that hard to get used to. Just gotta be able to plan ahead 🙂
I agree with you Jen. I have my reasons and you share some of them. Black and white isn’t how I view the world because there are always more than two sides to any story. Another is I can never do something that is so cruel. I won’t withdraw my support from a company OR an individual person because they associate with someone I don’t agree with. I hope someone won’t hate me because I’m someone’s daughter and they can’t stand my parent or because my friend isn’t someone they like. I find it just as unreasonable. Tarte hasn’t changed their policy, and for me, that says a lot about Maureen. Too many companies completely change. She hasn’t. And for that, I will support her and her company.
Buying cruelty-free brands owned by non-cruelty free companies will, in my opinion, not encourage the parent company to invest in cruelty-free brands; rather, it would only convince them more of the fact that they don’t have to go cruelty-free in order to benefit from the cruelty-free segment of the market- all they have to do is acquire a cruelty-free company and enjoy the money coming in from cruelty-free buyers.
Also, regarding your statement on buying groceries from a store that sells meat: this is very different from buying makeup. Firstly, it is next to impossible to live a normal life if one goes out to purchase each and every item on the shopping list directly from the manufacturer. Secondly, unlike groceries which are mass-purchased and repetitive, there is a lot of choice, sense and relative convenience in making sure you buy makeup from companies that are in no way affiliated with non-cruelty-free companies. You wouldn’t have the time or energy to do anything else if you bought your groceries directly from the manufacturers just because the supermarket you used to purchase from retails non cruelty-free brands. The simple analogy regarding cruelty-free brands owned by non-cruelty free companies is: If you had a choice between two stores that sold clothing and one of them sold fur products while the other one didn’t, why would you purchase non-fur products from the first one hoping to raise their demand while you could just as well shopped from the latter who is already the ‘good guy’ and deserves to be rewarded? I do understand that this means letting go of certain things such as product performance, experience with a certain brand etc, but these are such petty things to give up considering the larger issue of inhumane treatment towards our fellow creatures that we would be helping to stop. At the end of the day, going cruelty-free means you choose to sacrifice such things for the greater good of our furry friends. As long as it makes practical sense to sacrifice, why shouldn’t you? I hope you see it this way and choose to fund 100% cruelty-free companies over those that are cruelty-free but benefit the non-cruelty free parent company. It is such an easy (practically) switch to make!
I agree with you, Saniya. I know in my gut that continuing to buy from brands that have now been consumed by non cruelty-free parent companies isn’t truly being a cruelty-free consumer. The money I pay for a product will benefit that parent company, and my money is my most powerful voice. It’s really sad to hear about Tarte, but I won’t be buying their products anymore (nor any others Jen mentioned) regardless of how much I like them.
I have a question I have been confused about for a little while… I recently made the switch to try to buy only cruelty free products (so I am relatively new to this). I was happy to see on several lists that Tarte was known as cruelty free. However, someone pointed out to me that they are made in China, and I know that China requires animal testing. But Tarte is on websites like this, PETA, and LeapingBunny listed as cruelty free. How is it that makeup can be made in China, but also be cruelty free? Is it possible for it to be produced in China yet not be tested on animals?
Hi, this is a tricky question that I myself have been trying to find an answer to. The information on this seems to be very limited so I can’t promise that this is 100% accurate, so far as I can tell products are only required to be tested if they are to be sold on the Chinese market, if they are for export only then it seems testing is not carried out unless the company in question request it. Hope this helps a little
Thank you. After some more reading I discovered that several of the brands that are supported as cruelty free are still made in China… so I would have to assume that this is the case.
So many people in the comments are making it out like being able to buy cruelty-free and vegan from independently owned CF companies is an option for everyone, but no one is taking into account that these companies often have to charge higher prices for their products to do business (see Red Apple Lipstick charging $130+ for a nine shadow palette where Tarte charges $35 for their six color palette). Not every person committed to veganism or cruelty free beauty has the funds for that. Tarte makes affordable vegan products relative to other companies (excluding E.L.F. because their products are very hit and miss) and the brand itself and its owner obviously has high ethical standards as demonstrated in the letter above.
They’re a respectable label that makes good quality makeup and tools available to vegans who might otherwise not be able to afford them (thanks in part to being bought out by a larger company), and telling people that they “aren’t really vegan/cruelty-free” just because they don’t have the funds for higher priced makeup of the same quality is a rotten thing to do. As someone working on a degree in social advocacy, I’d venture to say that it’s also really, really classist.
This situation is not as black and white as so many people here are making it out to be. Animal rights activists so often forget to acknowledge the intersection of other power systems that create grey areas.
And to those pointing out the false analogy between Ulta and grocery stores under the logic that you need food to live and not makeup: how many of you are vegan or vegetarian and buy from brands that don’t exclusively sell products free of animal products? How many vegans eat Oreos even though Nabisco makes other sweets and snacks that contain animal products? Do you NEED cookies to live? I highly doubt it.
Get off of your high horse.
Not everyone has a farmers market nearby, or access to similar things we consider “better lifestyle choices.” It unfortunately is considered a luxury here in America. I live in Seattle, so I utilize farm to table as much as possible, but I have traveled this country quite a bit and realize that not all places within its borders are are imbued with such niceties for want or not.
But…would I be able to look at a rabbit/cat/dog whatever, while in the act of being tested and say “my mascara is more important than your eye?” No. So would I be able to do the same and say “My mascara is worth a certain *percentage* of your suffering?” No.
This world will not survive unless we teach each other to have reverence for life..all life, at all increments and/or *percentages* if you will. I mean no disrespect, but I fully and completely disagree with you.
Hmm…I have to say I don’t get this analogy. I would associate with anyone who had different opinions from mine, and I do, and I do not generally care who they are friends with or associate with. But I would not associate with people who commit acts that directly harm innocents, nor would I be able to stomach being associated with a friend of theirs who by association condones or at least tolerates these acts. Parents and families we do not chose, our associations and especially our actions we absolutely do.
No longer cruelty free 🙁 So upset that I have to return the mascara I JUST bought tonight 🙁 http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2014/03/kose-buys-tarte-cosmetics.html
It’s my understanding that Tarte is still cruelty free – many brands operate without animal testing and still have Leaping Bunny certification.
Couldn’t agree more. One you buy to SURVIVE, the other you buy out of vanity. There is a CLEAR difference.
unfortunately, if the people profiting are not 100% cruelty free, i cannot continue buying. because once a brand is owned by another company that animal tests anywhere for any reason, and you start buying, your money is, in the end, funding animal cruelty. that’s just the truth of the matter. even if peta tries to tell you otherwise. sorry. that’s not to suggest that you’re a bad person if you still buy tarte (or any other brand like it that has been bought out), just be aware of what’s really happening. it’s not your fault, and it’s so so so so so incredibly hard to find truly cruelty free products. so it’s not going to be possible for everyone.
What would be really great is if China just changed their policies…
The poster above, Rory, explains it better.
There’s not much difference between food and make-up marketing in the scheme of things.
Everything is double standards lately. Either way someone will get offended and get on their high, none racing, horse.
So I should stop being friends with one of my friends from primary school because he’s now a scientist and works on cancer research, which do occasionally test on animals?
Should he stop being friends with me because I believe in alternative research, which will ultimately take longer and slow the progress of finding a cure, because he believes that humans shouldn’t suffer or die from this deadly disease and wants to find a cure sooner rather than later?
We have different views, we always agree to disagree on these things. I would not stop being friends with him because of it, that’s quite close-minded.
I agree with you 100%. Buying from “cruelty-free” companies owned by cruel companies benefits the cruel company and their awful practices. You need food to live, you do not need cosmetics to live. The analogy between grocery shopping and putting mascara on is moot. I will not purchase cosmetics from companies that test on animals or those that are owned by companies that test. This is incredibly disappointing. I seem to be crossing off more and more makeup brands as they all seem to be taken over by animal testers!
It might be animal cruelty-free, but I doubt it is cruelty-free against humans, like all other products made in China. Do you vegan bloggers even care about people or just animals???
It might be animal cruelty-free, but I doubt it is cruelty-free against humans, like all other products made in China. Do you vegan bloggers even care about people or just animals???
This entire article is you justifying something you know is wrong. Buying only CF/V from a retailer is different than helping a nonCF corporation grow and expand to make more companies that are not CF/V. I think you know you are wrong and taking the easy way out on this one, you can do better.