Contrarily to what it might seem like, there’s a wide selection of cruelty-free makeup brands at Sephora, and some are even certified by the Leaping Bunny.

Those that aren’t can be found on PETA, and I’ve personally verified their animal testing policies by e-mail to make sure they don’t test on animals at any point during production.

None of the companies below sell their products in China (where animal testing is required by law). If a company starts selling in China, I cross it off the list, which means it lost its cruelty-free status.

You’ll also find a handful of skincare brands, as well as some hair and nail polish brands. The reason why this list is so short is because I’m making sure to contact every company before adding it to the list.

As for companies that do test on animals, the list is long: Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Benefit, Estee Lauder, Clinique, the Sephora brand, Bobbi Brown, Givenchy, Make Up For Ever, Marc Jacobs Fragrances (not to be confused with Marc Jacobs Beauty), and more. Those are definitely not cruelty-free and they do test on animals, in most cases in China.

The list below is constantly updated. More brands will be added as I get in touch with the companies.

Click on your favorite brands to check out their new products. The links open in a new tab.

Cruelty-Free Makeup At Sephora

Cruelty-Free Skincare At Sephora

Cruelty-Free Nails At Sephora

Cruelty-Free Hair Care At Sephora

Is The Sephora Brand Cruelty-Free?

The Sephora makeup brand itself is NOT cruelty-free. Sephora doesn’t test on animals except when required by law, and their products are being sold in China, where animal testing is required by law.

Nars, bareMinerals, Buxom: Owned By Shiseido

Shiseido is a company that still tests on animals, but they own 3 cruelty-free brands sold at Sephora: NARS, bareMinerals, and Buxom.

These 3 brands are cruelty-free themselves and are not sold in mainland China, where animal testing is mandatory for foreign cosmetics companies. There are pros and cons to supporting cruelty-free companies owned by a parent company that tests on animals, and supporting these companies is still a better choice than supporting brands that test on animals.

Further Reading

Cruelty-free made simple!

Download the full list of cruelty-free brands in my 10-page guide, Cruelty-Free Made Simple. Enter your name and email below to get it in your inbox.

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Suzana Rose
By Suzana Rose|
Suzana is the founder of Cruelty-Free Kitty. She believes in ethical businesses and wants to see a global ban on animal testing. She loves cats, debunking myths, and shoegaze music.