After speaking with Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of Cruelty Free International, and Emily Westhead, International Communications Director at L’Oréal, we dug into the accreditation process that Garnier has gone through. We also touched on China, and future plans for L’Oréal.

I’m happy to announce to my readers that Garnier is truly a cruelty-free brand and is not currently sold in stores in mainland China. The brand has also confirmed that they have no plans to expand to mainland China in the future as long as animal testing is a concern. You can now purchase from Garnier knowing that they’re a cruelty-free, Leaping Bunny certified company.

At Cruelty-Free Kitty, we don’t allow companies to get away with “cruelty-free” marketing claims that are half-truths. Garnier is available in more than 65 countries worldwide. You can find them at several local drugstores no matter where you live. This is why it’s so important to get all the facts right regarding their cruelty-free status. For some cruelty-free shoppers, Garnier could be the only hair care brand they have access to that’s cruelty-free.

A Thorough Leaping Bunny Approval Process

Leaping Bunny’s approval process is rigorous whether the approval is for a small, independent brand or a large company such as Garnier. In Garnier’s case, the approval process took over 2 years and over 500 suppliers had to be vetted.

After this initial audit, Garnier will be audited regularly in order to maintain their Leaping Bunny status and display the Leaping Bunny logo on products which demonstrates that the company is doing everything possible to be cruelty free and remove animal testing from its supply chain.

No Longer Sold in China

As you know, at Cruelty-Free Kitty we do not consider brands that are sold in mainland China to be cruelty-free even when they bypass pre-market animal testing by using certain loopholes. These brands include Herbal Essences, Dove, First Aid Beauty, and Aussie. While these brands are approved by PETA, they do not meet our cruelty-free criteria.

Before 2017, Garnier sold a small number of products in China. They have since completely pulled out of China and the products that were sold there are no longer marketed.

There are no Garnier products on the market which have been animal tested since 2013. Garnier is therefore not subject to either pre-market animal testing or post-market animal testing in China.

It’s Official: Garnier Is Cruelty-Free!

You can now purchase from Garnier knowing that the brand is truly cruelty-free. They’re not sold in mainland China which means that no loopholes are being used, and they have been vetted by Leaping Bunny.

Garnier is currently one of the few budget-friendly hair care brands you can find at the drugstore. Even more than that, they’re often the only cruelty-free hair care brand many shoppers around the world can have easy access to.

L’Oréal Is Still Not Cruelty-Free

Although Garnier is now a cruelty-free company, their parent company L’Oréal unfortunately still tests on animals where required by law. While we recommend supporting all cruelty-free brands at Cruelty-Free Kitty, some cruelty-free shoppers prefer avoiding any brand owned by a parent company that isn’t cruelty-free. If this is you, you’ll now find Garnier in our list of cruelty-free brands owned by a parent company that tests on animals. Garnier will also clearly be marked as being owned by L’Oréal on their brand page.

Are More Brands Owned By L’Oréal Going Cruelty-Free?

We weren’t able to get a confirmation whether or not more brands owned by L’Oréal will follow Garnier’s footsteps and go cruelty-free. Currently, L’Oréal owns the following brands that are cruelty-free: NYX, IT Cosmetics, Urban Decay, and Carol’s Daughter.

L’Oréal also owns the following brands that are NOT cruelty-free: L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Kiehl’s, Giorgio Armani, Shu Uemura, Biotherm, Keratase, La Roche-Posay, Vichy, SkinCeuticals, and more.

We recently added Essie to our list of grey area brands.

Towards a Cruelty-Free Future

Efforts from brands like Garnier and CoverGirl to commit to being cruelty-free are very promising. Acquiring Leaping Bunny certification is not an easy process for these big players, which proves how important it is to go cruelty-free in 2021. These brands are setting a standard for all other brands on the market. If giants like Garnier and CoverGirl are committed not to test on animals, more brands could (and should) follow suit.

Is Garnier owned by a parent company that tests on animals?

Garnier is owned by L'Oréal which is not a cruelty-free brand. If you prefer avoiding brands owned by a company that tests on animals, we recommend avoiding Garnier.

Is Garnier sold where animal testing is required by law?

No, Garnier is not sold where animal testing is required by law.

Is Garnier certified cruelty-free by any organizations?

Yes, Garnier is certified by Leaping Bunny & Peta.

Is Garnier vegan?

Garnier is cruelty-free but not 100% vegan, meaning that some of their products contain animal-derived ingredients.

How do you determine that brands like Garnier are cruelty-free?

We contact brands directly with our questions in order to get their full animal testing policy. If brands answer all our questions and confirm that no animal testing is happening at any point during production and beyond, they're added to our cruelty-free list. All brands we add have confirmed the information above.