A Deeper Look At Kiko’s Animal Testing Policy

So, is Kiko cruelty-free? Yes, Kiko confirmed that they don't test finished products or ingredients on animals. They also stated that their suppliers don't test on animals, and no third parties test on animals on their behalf. They don't test on animals where required by law and their products aren't sold in China.

Keep reading for the full policy as well as a Q&A.

At A Glance

• Finished products tested on animals: No
• Ingredients tested on animals: No
• Third party animal testing: No
• Tested on animals where required by law: No
• Sold in mainland China: No
• Certifications: None
• Parent company: None
• Parent company status: N/A

From The Website

Kiko's official site has a full page devoted to their animal testing policy. Unfortunately, this page doesn't go in much detail and only tells us that Kiko is conforming to the EU animal testing ban. It reads:

"KIKO does not carry out or order testing on animals, pursuant to the relative European laws.

This guarantee does not only include finished products but also the latest generation raw materials, tested from 2004 onwards. In fact, European legislation for cosmetics has prohibited animal testing since 2004 on finished products, a practice stopped by the cosmetics industry 15 years before the law went into effect. A ban, valid in all EU territories, not only on the sale of final cosmetic formulations which have undergone animal testing but also products containing ingredients tested on animals outside of the European Community came into effect on March 11, 2009.

In March 2013, a ban on the sale of cosmetic products containing ingredients tested for specific toxicity trials came into effect (toxicity from repeated use, reproductive toxicity and toxicokinetics) on substances to be used for cosmetic purposes.

KIKO is committed to the pursuit of progress in Italian and European cosmetics through research into alternative tests to animal toxicological tests that protect consumer safety."

Animal Testing FAQ

Their website also has a short animal testing FAQ.

To the question "Are Kiko products tested on animals?", we get a similar (and more brief) answer: "KIKO MILANO does not carry out or order testing on animals, pursuant to the relative European laws."

In this FAQ, they also claim they choose not to become certified cruelty-free because they're focusing their budget on something other than "cruelty-free registration and annual fees". They state that since the EU laws ensure that cosmetics companies remain cruelty-free, certification isn't needed.

Critically, I can't say this position makes much sense. Leaping Bunny certification isn't exactly expensive, and the smallest mom and pop brands become certified. For an international company like Kiko, I have trouble seeing how cruelty-free certification doesn't fit in their budget. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean that they're not cruelty-free.

Q&A With Kiko

Since the policy on their website isn't complete, I reached out to Kiko to ask them additional questions. Here are their answers, with my questions in bold.

1. Does your company test on animals, either for finished products or ingredients?

KIKO MILANO does not carry out or order testing of ingredients or finished products on animals and is in line with European laws on this matter.

2. Do your suppliers test on animals?

No

3. Does your company hire or allow third parties to test on animals on your behalf?

No

4. Do you test on animals where required by law?

Our products are sold in Russia where we sent a request that we be exempted from animal testing previous to launching there, which was granted, and so we remain in line with EU regulations on this matter.

5. Are your products sold in mainland China?

Our products are sold only in Hong Kong and so we are able to remain in line with EU regulations with this matter.

Sold In China?

Looking at their website, I noticed they do have a Chinese version of the site.

On the Chinese site however, the store locator only brings up Hong Kong results. Right now, Kiko confirmed that they're not sold in China outside of Hong Kong, which means they're not subjected to the "required by law" testing laws.

I've added Kiko to my cruelty-free list and I'll be keeping an eye on their international expansion to make sure nothing changes.

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