Until recently, St. Ives has inherited the animal testing policy of its parent company Unilever. For this reason, they were on PETA’s list of companies that test on animals. However there’s been a recent change, and St. Ives is now fully cruelty-free.

This is their updated animal testing policy:

“As of December 2018, St. Ives is thrilled to announce that we are proud to be officially PETA-Certified Cruelty-Free across our entire product portfolio, which only reinforces our continued commitment to never testing on animals.”

In addition to this, St. Ives reached out to us and they were able to answer all our questions regarding their animal testing policy.

Does your brand test on animals, for either finished products or ingredients? 

No. St. Ives is not tested on animals anywhere in the world and is certified by PETA.

 Do your suppliers test on animals? How do you ensure this?

No. Our commitment to no animal testing extends to the ingredients provided by our suppliers. The PETA accreditation has a requirement for statements of assurance by suppliers, which we comply with.

Do you allow any third-parties to test on animals on your behalf? 

No.

Do you test on animals where required by law? 

No. We have a policy prohibiting any animal tests anywhere in the world: no projects are approved internally if they were to result in a requirement for animal testing of St. Ives products or ingredients. 

Are your products sold in mainland China (excluding online sales, not Hong Kong)? 

No, St. Ives is not sold in mainland China.

St. Ives confirmed that they don’t test on animals at any point during production, and no suppliers or third-parties test on animals on their behalf. They also don’t test on animals where required by law or sell in stores in mainland China.

It’s also important to note that St. Ives has never been available for sale in stores in mainland China according to their representent, who told us that “St. Ives is not and has never been sold directly in China. Consumers in China are only able to purchase St. Ives through cross-border e-commerce sites.”

We also received the following statement from them:

“St. Ives is proud to be certified by PETA as cruelty-free. We have always maintained a policy prohibiting animal tests on our products anywhere in the world and received our PETA cruelty-free certification in November 2018. PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies cruelty-free certification is a great way of letting our consumers know that St. Ives does not and will not test on animals.” 

Are St. Ives products vegan-friendly?

Most of their products are vegan. From their FAQ, St. Ives state:

“None of our products contain animal derived ingredients with the exception of the St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Moisturizer and the St. Ives Collagen & Elastin Body Lotion, which contain collagen and elastin derived from a marine source. “

St. Ives is a commonly available brand that can be found in many drugstores across the world. We’re happy that they’re committed to stay cruelty-free. Keep in mind that St. Ives is still owned by Unilever, a company that tests on animals. Choosing St. Ives is a better alternative than any brand that tests on animals. If you’re transitioning to cruelty-free products and are looking for easy drugstore switches, they’re an easy option to look for, specifically for body care products.

Is St. Ives owned by a parent company that tests on animals?

St. Ives is owned by Unilever which is not a cruelty-free brand. If you prefer avoiding brands owned by a company that tests on animals, we recommend avoiding St. Ives.

Is St. Ives sold where animal testing is required by law?

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

Is St. Ives certified cruelty-free by any organizations?

Yes, St. Ives is certified by Peta.

Is St. Ives vegan?

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

How do you determine that brands like St. Ives 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.