Last Updated on April 9, 2021 by Eco Elsie
On Renpure’s homepage, you’ll find a large portion of it taken up by a ‘What We Stand For’ section that announces that the four pillars of their vision are ‘For the Whole Family’, ‘Naturally Inspired’, ‘Clean Beauty’, and ‘Recycling Enthusiasts’.
That all sounds pretty wholesome to us, but is there anything we should know about Renpure that’s not plastered across their homepage?
Renpure shampoos and conditioners are well marketed. They often have minimal aesthetics with rich block colors, plenty of sensory text, and symmetrical floral embellishments.
By appearances alone, we’d consider them an ethical brand, but the infamous adage, ‘you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover’, couldn’t be more relevant in this instance.
It’s not as if Renpure is the source of all evil, it’s just – as they themselves state – they are not a certified cruelty-free brand.
We appreciate them being forthright about this as the only thing worse than being complicit in industrial cruelty is trying to hide it via omission and jargon.
Unfortunately, beyond a few vague blanket statements about the moral stance of the company, that’s where the transparency ends. As is often the case, the details are very much hidden from consumer’s eyes.
Is Renpure Vegan?
Despite their focus on plant-based products, the reason that Renpure cannot be considered a cruelty-free company is because their Biotin & Collagen and Keratin & Argan lines do contain animal-derived ingredients, namely, collagen and silk.
Collagen is a type of protein commonly sourced from beef and fish.
Silk not being vegan may not have even occurred to you. It’s one of the things omnivores will turn their nose up at and label vegan extremism, but it really isn’t. Many silkworms are killed in order to harvest raw silk, so no, it’s not a matter of overzealous vegans; it’s a matter of life and death.
These ingredients are a rarity in Renpure products, though. Most of them are 100% plant-based and labeled as such.
Again, we appreciate the lengths Renpure has gone to ensure the important information is communicated either on the product or in some other aspect of their marketing strategies.
If you’re a vegan, and you’re unsure which Renpure products you can buy, they have a full plan-based collection with tons of options.
It’s up to you whether you think it’s right to support a company that has a small amount of non-vegan products.
Is Renpure an Ethical Company?
Ultimately, no, Renpure cannot be considered an ethical company, although, in many ways, they’re doing a great job. All their plastics are recyclable, but we’d argue that the manufacturing process of plastics is in itself damaging to the environment.
They could just as well use sustainable alternatives. Many truly ethical companies have already gone down this route to huge success. Shower-proof plant-based paper is an awesome plastic alternative turning heads at the moment.
Why not have a quick look; it’s amazing.
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Another reason Renpure should be commended is that they don’t sell their products in China.
For those that don’t know, China has laws in place that demand cosmetics, especially those from abroad, be tested on animals before being released for human use.
The law is ever so slowly being eased to include only very specific products and circumstances, but the fact that Renpure says no to it altogether is a promising sign.
Renpure does use palm oil in some products, but only from sustainable suppliers, and they assert that if they can’t source 100% sustainable palm oil, they’ll phase it out of their products by 2022.
Does Renpure Test on Animals?
We’re happy to report that, no, Renpure does not do any testing on animals.
Hurray! Other than those few exceptions that contain animal-derived ingredients, nothing in their products will have ever even come close to an animal, making them a great choice for vegans.
As previously mentioned, they don’t sell their products in China, so they don’t even use the sneaky ‘unless it’s required by law’ clause. For the most part, their actions match their words, which is rare in today’s hyper-competitive, consumer-based world.
Alternatives to animal testing that Renpure might use in their production process include cell cultures, computer models, and volunteers.
Cell cultures are lab grown cells that can be used to test products without harming anything with a nervous system.
Computer modelling involves using large chemical databases in conjunction with advanced algorithms in order to test product suitability for human use.
It’s far more accurate than animal testing. Volunteers are willing human participants in the testing process.
Even if you’re not strictly vegan, but fervently against animal testing, Renpure products are an awesome way to ensure you’re not complicit in this particular injustice, although, we’d highly recommend sticking to their vegan products.
Are Renpure Products Toxic?
Renpure products are USDA-certified as an organic brand, and as the majority of their ingredients are plant-based, they’re biodegradable and won’t harm any natural ecosystems.
All their products are completely free from parabens, sulfates, and even gluten; however, if you take a closer look at the ingredients in some of their conditioners, you’ll find something that’s a little perplexing.
Diazolidinyl urea is used as a preservative, and it works exceptionally well. The only problem is that it releases formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is incredibly damaging to aquatic life and is considered by the EPA to be a probable human carcinogen.
While this sounds pretty damning, Renpure insists that even though diazolidinyl urea does release formaldehyde, it’s only ever a totally safe amount – roughly 0.05%.
As Renpure products are so full of plant-derived ingredients, it would actually be worse if it wasn’t in there, as the formulas would go bad before they reached our bonces.
So, all things considered, Renpure is doing good stuff, but there’s definitely room for improvement. With all their success, there’s no excuse not to put some money into trying to better themselves.
