Last Updated on April 9, 2021 by Eco Elsie
Unfortunately, Rimmel is not a cruelty-free brand, and they do test on animals either themselves, through their suppliers, or through third parties.
Rimmel is a British brand that is owned by the parent company Coty, and their makeup products are available in drugstores worldwide.
Their motto is ‘live the London look’, but you might not be so keen to do so after finding out more about the company.
Rimmel could also be paying for animal testing while selling products in mainland China, which is common for such companies.
In China, the laws surrounding animal testing are very different to other parts of the world, and by selling products in this Region, Rimmel cannot be considered cruelty-free.
The parent company that owns Rimmel London is called Coty, and this is a company that often tests on animals. So, neither Rimmel nor their parent company are cruelty-free. You can find the following statement on Rimmel’s website:
At Coty, we do not test our products on animals and are committed to ending animal testing across our industry. All our products are safe and have been developed, manufactured and packaged in compliance with the laws, regulations and guidelines that are applicable in each country in which they are sold. Coty’s human safety experts review our ingredients, as well as the finished products, by applying the best science, based on the use of recognized alternatives to animal testing, existing safety data and, increasingly, the sharing of such data with other parties and industries.
This means that though in some regions, animal testing is not taking place, it certainly is in others, where the ‘’laws, regulations, and guidelines’’ require it.
Additionally, while the company themselves may not be testing on animals, third parties and suppliers could be. Rimmel London is also not certified as cruelty-free by any of the official organizations.
Is Rimmel Vegan?
Rimmel is not a vegan brand, and they do not provide vegan labelling on products.
Additionally, they are not certified as vegan through any trusted organizations, and it is known that some of their products contain ingredients that are derived from animals.
These sources are often less expensive to source as cosmetic ingredients, which is probably the explanation behind this.
Just as with any brand that does not have any labelled vegan products, it can be assumed that their products are not suitable for vegans. You could check out their ingredients list yourself, but it can often be difficult to tell which ingredients have an animal source and which are synthetic.
Rimmel currently used animal-by-products and animal-derived ingredients from fish, bees and other animals when making its products, which makes their products not suitable for vegans.
There may be some products sold by Rimmel that are suitable for vegans, but you would have to read the ingredients list of the individual product to find this out.
Is Rimmel An Ethical Company?
Rimmel cannot be labeled as an ethical company due to the variety of issues within their company.
Rimmel is a brand that is sold in China and is not cruelty-free as it agrees to the testing of their products on animals in order to be sold in this region.
It has also come to light that there are instances of child labor and unacceptable working conditions that contribute to the making of Rimmel products in some regions, like India.
Rimmel is aware of this fact, and has joined the Responsible Mica Initiative to address the issue. In 2017, they stated that they aimed to achieve a responsible mica supply chain over the next five years. However, whether they have achieved this is another question entirely.
Another issue that many customers take with Rimmel is that they do not use sustainable palm oil in the making of their products. The use of palm oil is a major contributor to deforestation in some of the world’s most biodiverse forests.
Using palm oil that has not been sourced sustainably contributes to the destruction of habitats of already endangered species, like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino.
Another reason why Rimmel are not an ethical brand is due to their animal testing policy. While they may not test on animals themselves, their products may be subject to animal testing in other regions, so they are contributing to the problem.
Therefore, their products are not entirely cruelty-free, which is a big issue for many. They also do not mention anything on their website about the sourcing of their ingredients.
They have made a statement regarding their animal testing policies, that states that they are looking to find alternative ways to test their products, rather than on animals.
Not only that, but they say that they are involved in continua dialogue with Chinese authorities to find ways to replace animal testing with other, more ethical, alternatives. However, until these changes are made, they cannot be considered as a cruelty-free brand.
Are Rimmel Products Toxic?
Rimmel products are not toxic, but they do contain some questionable ingredients that some people will try to avoid. We will explain what some of these things are below.
Rimmel is not a natural or organic brand by any means, and they do not claim that their products are made with natural or organic ingredients, but there are some things that you might want to be aware of.
The first of these things is the use of parabens, as the majority of Rimmel products contain parabens. These are compounds in cosmetics that many companies are trying to eliminate if they haven’t already.
However, Rimmel does have some products available that are free from parabens, so you should always check the label before you buy them if this is something that concerns you.
If you are concerned about allergens, you should know that Rimmel products are not certified as gluten-free. Very few of their products are free from gluten, which is something to be aware of if you face this problem. If you are looking for gluten-free products, then you may want to look elsewhere.
