Last Updated on April 9, 2021 by Eco Elsie
It is often difficult to tell whether or not a company is actually cruelty free or not.
Today we’re taking a look at La Roche Posay to identify whether or not they are part of the small group of truly cruelty free companies.
Is La Roche Posay Cruelty Free?
In short, no, La Roche Posay is not a cruelty free brand.
This might come as a surprise to many people as the company boasts that they are cruelty free, but this simply isn’t true.
If you look on the La Roche Posay website, you will see a statement that says “La Roche Posay does not test any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world”, but unfortunately this is a lie.
Once again, La Roche Posay is another company that portrays a cruelty free brand all around the world, while animal testing in the background so that they can sell their products in the Chinese beauty market.
Up until 1st May 2021, Chinese law has meant that any foreign beauty products must be animal tested for them to be able to be sold on Chinese soil. As China is a huge market for companies, a lot of brands choose to do this while still acting as though they are ‘cruelty free’ everywhere else in the world.
However, with the change in law, this will no longer be essential, so there is a possibility that La Roche Posay may become cruelty free in the future.
Is La Roche Posay Vegan?
La Roche Posay is not cruelty free, and so they are also not vegan-friendly. However, unlike their claims of being ‘cruelty free’, at no point has the company claimed to cater to vegan consumers. So, no, La Roche Posay is not vegan, and let’s take a look at why.
The main reason that La Roche Posay cannot be classified as vegan is because they test on animals to be able to sell in China. However, even if the company were to stop doing this, it still would not be a vegan company.
This is because La Roche Posay uses a variety of products that come from animals, including milk, collagen, keratin, lanolin, and honey.
If a product contains a single ingredient that can be traced back to an animal then it is unable to be classified as vegan. Some of the ingredients on this list are a point of controversy for some vegans, with some people being happy to use products with these ingredients in, even though they are vegan.
But from an official viewpoint, La Roche Posay is not vegan friendly.
Is La Roche Posay an Ethical Company?
The way in which La Roche Posay treats animals is questionable, but what about the rest of their company ethics?
A lot of people will argue that La Roche Posay is not an ethical company because they test on animals in order to sell in mainland China, and also do not make their products available for vegans. But there is something else that calls the ethics of this company into question, and that is their parent company.
La Roche Posay is just one of many brands that are owned by beauty giant, Loreal. In the past, Loreal has been named as one of the most ethical companies in the world, but consumers have called this award into question.
Loreal chooses to test on animals in order to sell in China, and they also choose to run manufacturing factories in countries where working conditions are poor.
Additionally, Loreal as a company does not seem to care about the environment as they produce several products that cause pollution to enter the world, and so they actively contribute to climate change.
Overall, the way in which Loreal operates is often not considered ethical, and so it is safe to assume that La Roche Posay operates in the same manner.
Does La Roche Posay test on Animals?
As we said earlier, La Roche Posay denies the fact that they test on animals, and even claim that they do not outsource this testing to other companies.
But, unfortunately, La Roche Posay has been caught out in a lie as they have to test on animals in order to sell their products on Chinese soil.
So despite their denials, La Roche Posay does test on animals, or at least they have at some point in their lifetime in order to get the green light for sale in China.
Additionally, the company is owned by Loreal who also tests on animals where necessary by law, and so it is clear that this company does test on animals.
But it is important to remember the change in Chinese law that we mentioned earlier as this could be a complete game-changer for companies like La Roche Posay. This is because the change in law will allow them to access the Chinese market without having to test their products on animals.
Are La Roche Posay Products Toxic?
If any of the final products that La Roche Posay sells were toxic, they would not be allowed to go to market. That being said, there are some ingredients that La Roche Posay uses in the products that have some controversy surrounding them.
Namely, these ingredients can be found in the La Roche Posay Sunscreen milk, and include PEG-8 Laurate and oxybenzone. PEG-8 is a chemical that has been associated with systemic toxicity and dermatitis, but it is not necessarily considered toxic.
Similarly, oxybenzone is also not considered toxic but it is seen as a hazard as it is known to cause allergic reactions to the skin, Additionally, it has been associated with hormone disruption in both men and women, including testosterone and estrogen production.
So while none of the final products that La Roche Posay are toxic, some ingredients can be found in their products that could pose a risk to your health.
Summary
In short, La Roche Posay is not a cruelty free brand as they actively test on animals in order to sell in China.
But the change in Chinese law could result in La Roche Posay becoming a cruelty free brand in the future.
