Last Updated on April 9, 2021 by Eco Elsie
Fresh prides itself on being a natural beauty and cosmetics company that sells skincare, body care, makeup, and fragrances in countries all over the world. However, at the time of writing, they are not cruelty free.
Cruelty free status often involves a myriad of different considerations that need to be taken into account. The main factor that needs to be met is the status the company takes on animal testing.
Cruelty free status also takes into account whether the products made by a brand are vegan or, at least vegetarian.
Of course, some brands can be technically vegan in the sense that they use no animal derived ingredients but still test on animals. Likewise, a brand may use honey or gelatin but be against animal testing.
This can make affirming cruelty free status very difficult. However, suffice to say, Fresh is not cruelty free and should not be considered as such, regardless of the ingredients they use.
As well as this they have no official logos awarded by cruelty free organizations such as The Leaping Bunny or PETA and do not have the words ‘cruelty free’ printed on their products. This gives a good indication that they do not have true cruelty free status.
It is also worth bearing in mind that their parent company is also not cruelty free.
Is Fresh vegan?
From our research, we have found that Fresh does not make any claims to be vegan and sometimes used animal derived ingredients such as honey, propolis, and even from other animals and fish.
This means that they are not a 100% vegan or vegetarian company.
Fresh may indeed have some products that are technically vegan in the sense that some products may contain no animal derived ingredients. However, many vegans and cruelty free cosmetics consumers will not classify them as a vegan companies because of their lack of cruelty free status.
They do not have any accreditation from any official vegan societies or organizations such as Peta, The Vegan Society, and The Leaping Bunny Logo. This is often enough to tell a consumer that a brand is not vegan or cruelty free.
In our opinion, Fresh cannot be a vegan company unless they take action to stop animal testing and refuse to operate in companies and countries that support it.
Be aware that whilst a company may state that their products are vegan or even vegetarian, they may still allow animal testing, rendering them non-vegan.
Is Fresh an ethical company?
When thinking of the ethics of a company, it can encompass many different things such as the environmental and eco standpoints of a brand, the impact it has on the world around it, its animal testing view, and the way they treat its staff.
You also need to take into consideration their stance on serious issues such as child and slave labor.
It can sometimes be very difficult to get solid answers about these issues with certain brands, and that in itself should set alarm bells ringing as these should all be totally transparent issues.
Nonetheless, in terms of Fresh’s ethical standpoint, we can look to their parent company LVMH who requires all of the companies they parent to have a statement on modern slavery.
As such, Fresh does feature a lengthy Supply Chain Transparency statement that covers many of the ethical issues discussed.
Fresh also states any ingredients that they use in their products must comply with all worldwide regulations and undergo quality assurance, as well as safety and traceability.
Does Fresh test on animals?
On their website, Fresh claims that they do not test on animals. They say this in one sentence and do not expand any further.
However, just a simple internet search and some further research will show you that Fresh has always sold in China, and so they would have, until recently, have participated in the testing of cosmetics on animals where it is required by law.
Of course, mainland China has very recently changed these laws and it is no longer a requirement.
However, it still happens, and companies and authorities can request animal testing if needed. This means that the decision over whether to award cruelty free status to these companies that sell in China is not straightforward.
As a company, they also allow animal testing on their finished products where it is required by law, and also third-party testing on animals where the law requires it.
As for their suppliers and ingredients, it is unclear of their stance on animal testing, and so we cannot give a definitive answer.
However, given their support of animal testing in other aspects of their products, it is best to err on the side of caution.
As we already know, they possess no official logos or accreditation from cruelty free or vegan organizations, and so it is safe to assume for now that they are in support of animal testing.
Are Fresh products toxic?
Fresh market themselves as an all natural company specializing in skincare that incorporates as many natural ingredients as possible.
On the msot part, they achieve this, and a quick look at the ingredients on most of their products indicates that they are packed full of natural ingredients.
This may be preferential for those looking for a mostly natural brand and as few synthetics as possible.
However, this does not mean they are 100% natural, and they do state that they will use synthetic alternatives if they cannot safely source a certain natural ingredient.
As well as this, they also use parabens in many of their products. The use of parabens is a topic that is commonly debated, with many studies saying they are unsafe and equal numbers of studies stating that in small amounts parabens are fine.
The toxicity of parabens worsens when you find them in large amounts, and so the amount in cosmetics may be fine.
However, because of the links of many parabens to things such as breast cancer, skin irritation, and endocrine issues, many consumers choose to avoid them.
