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 may 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 or test on animals where required by law. If a company starts selling in China, I cross it off the list, which means it lost its cruelty-free status. For the moment, only NARS has decided to expand to the Chinese market, which means NARS is no longer cruelty-free.

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. This list was recently updated to feature even more cruelty-free brands!

As for companies that do test on animals, the list is long: Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Benefit, Estée 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.

Brands Owned By Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Companies

Some brands on the list above are owned by parent companies that test on animals. When this is the case, you’ll see a note next to the brand. For example, Hourglass is owned by Unilever and Urban Decay is owned by L’Oréal. Some people choose to support such companies and some don’t. There are pros and cons, and this is a personal decision you can make. It’s important to note that these cruelty-free brands are still cruelty-free, no matter their parent company. The brand that owns them doesn’t have an impact on their actual cruelty-free status.

Further Reading

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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.