Last Updated on April 9, 2021 by Eco Elsie
Maybelline is a very well-known cosmetics company all around the world. Over recent years many companies in the cosmetics industry have strived to be cruelty-free and not test on animals.
Maybelline is one of these companies but their views on animal rights have been questioned over and over again for many years. As Maybelline is owned by L’Oreal, it follows its animal testing policy.
Maybelline’s animal testing policy claims that their finished products or ingredients are not animal tested and no third parties test on animals on their behalf unless required by law.
However, as third-party animal testing is allowed when required by law, Maybelline can not be considered a cruelty-free cosmetics brand.
Maybelline’s products are likely tested on animals on the mainland of China by Chinese authorities.
As a foreign cosmetic, when Maybelline is sold in mainland China, it must be tested on animals due to China’s pre-market animal testing laws. Maybelline needs to agree not to have their finished products animal tested and must pay if these animal tests occur.
Because Maybelline is sold in mainland China, and foreign cosmetics must be tested on animals because of the law, Maybelline is certainly not a cruelty-free brand.
Is Maybelline Vegan?
Maybelline offers a small range of vegan products. For cosmetics to be considered vegan, they need to contain no animal-derived ingredients. However, many would argue that brands shouldn’t be considered vegan if they don’t have a cruelty testing policy.
If true vegan cosmetics are only from cruelty-free brands, then Maybelline can not be considered vegan. As this multinational drugstore may not take careful considerations into the sources of its ingredients, it is hard to call it truly vegan.
L’Oreal stated “L’Oreal does not use any ingredient from rare or endangered animal species…
We use derivatives of raw materials of animal origin in restricted quantities, such as honey, beeswax, lanolin, as well as fish derivatives and poultry egg derivative.”.
This shows that the brand uses certain animal-based ingredients in their products so, therefore, it certainly can not be seen as vegan.
The basic definition of vegan is someone who doesn’t eat any ingredients derived from animals or use other animal products. The fact Maybelline uses beeswax and palm oil proves that the brand is not vegan.
Although Maybelline labels some products as vegan, they are not certified as Vegan with either Peta or Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free organizations).
Is Maybelline an ethical company?
Maybelline considers itself as an ethical company. There are a few considerations to take into account in order to be ethical such as how eco-friendly a brand is, how environmentally friendly it is, and the ethical practices the brand supports.
Although the company considers itself ethical, some evidence suggests otherwise. Due to selling their products in mainland China, Maybelline’s ingredients go through animal testing which is required by law.
Though the company states they “no longer test any…products or any…ingredients on animals”, they do allow it if “regulatory authorities” demand it. Due to this attitude toward animal testing, Maybelline can not be considered ethical.
Maybelline does work hard in recycling its products and attempting to help the environment. They have launched recycling bins across various stores in the UK so consumers can drop off their old makeup in an environmentally friendly way.
However, due to their animal testing policies, we can not consider Maybelline as an ethical company as they tend to exploit the loopholes of product testing policies.
The products go through several rounds of cruelty-testing before being finished. Maybelline has to pay for animal testing in countries such as mainland China which, in itself, is deemed very unethical.
Does Maybelline test on animals?
As we have stated, Maybelline is a subsidiary of the French cosmetics company L’Oreal. Due to this, Maybelline have the same animal testing policy as L’Oreal.
Maybelline’s website states, “L’Oréal no longer tests any of its products or any of its ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world nor does L’Oréal delegate this task to others. An exception could only be made if regulatory authorities demanded it for safety or regulatory purposes.”
Although the company doesn’t specifically test on animals, some countries deem it necessary to pass certain testing policies. Therefore, Maybelline products are subject to testing on animals in countries such as mainland China to be compliant with their regulations.
Maybelline’s parent company, L’Oreal states that they do “not test any…products or any… ingredients on animals and has been at the forefront of alternative methods for over 30 years.”
However, this doesn’t point to the fact that the company has agreed and paid to have its products tested by third parties. Furthermore, L’Oreal is listed on PETA’s list of companies that do tests on animals.
One positive is that L’Oreal has invested in alternative methods to animal testing. Whether Maybelline has also invested in such changes remains unclear.
Are Maybelline products toxic?
A lot of mainstream makeup that is used daily could have harmful chemicals in the ingredients. Some are known to cause cancer and possible birth defects.
The EU has banned 1,400 different chemicals from cosmetics over recent years while the US has only banned 11.
This is a worrying statistic, especially when many of these chemicals can cause cancer which 1 in 5 Americans will get this year.
Most major drugstore and department store brands fall very short on environmental and safety standards, yet they remain extremely popular.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics researched the most dangerous chemicals that have been proven to be highly toxic and discovered that all drugstore and department store cosmetic products contained these harmful, toxic ingredients. This includes Maybelline as well as Clinique and similar brands.
The worrying aspect of this is that brands such as Maybelline openly state these toxic ingredients on their products. However, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that some products contain these ingredients in secret so consumers won’t know if their makeup is dangerous or not.
Consumers have the right and duty to know what ingredients go into making their beloved makeup products. Once cosmetics with toxins are avoided, these companies will have no choice other than to make their products safer.
