Is Ponds Cruelty Free or Not? [2020 Update]

If you love Ponds skin care and cruelty free living you are not going to be happy anymore. Understand why and what you can do about it right now!

Unfortunately, you will now need to find cruelty free skin care alternatives to replace Ponds if you want to live an ethical lifestyle. Ponds is on our list of brands that test on animals.

We’ll show you why, and the misleading disclosure gaps in their animal testing policy.

We’ll also show you how to fix this ethical dilemma, and how to find the best Ponds cruelty free and vegan alternatives.

… so let’s dive in.

is PONDS Cruelty free?

Ponds is NOT a cruelty-free brand. They sell their cosmetics in mainland China where the law requires animal testing. Ponds does disclose this fact in their animal testing policy.

Does PONDS test on animals?

Yes, Ponds products are tested on animals in Mainland China or where required by law. Ponds clearly says this in their product safety disclosure.

…but it makes us wonder if animal testing is more wide-spread?

What’s not so clear is if ingredients are tested on animals. How they phrase the Ponds animal testing policy does not clearly answer this question.

…this part gets interesting… but before we dive into this issue – let’s explore the actual testing policy.

PONDS testing policy

Here is the full Ponds Animal Testing policy disclosed on their website:

So this is the spot where many brands start to mislead consumers with omission of key facts.

Even though Ponds as a brand may not test on animals directly… they don’t disclose if their ingredients are tested on animals by suppliers.

BTW… in case you didn’t know… most animal testing occurs at the ingredient level, and not the product level.

…So avoiding this topic is not cool, and is not a complete disclosure on animal testing facts.

More on this in a bit… first we need to talk about testing in China.

Does PONDS sell in China?

Yes, Ponds does sell in Mainland China. Brands that sell in mainland China are subject to animal testing laws which require their products to be test on animals.

Ponds puts profits ahead of ethics. Ponds is willing to allow testing of their products in China to access this huge marketplace. China is one of their fastest and largest growing consumer markets.

Do PONDS’ Ingredient Suppliers Test on Animals?

So… the next step in our investigation dives into Ponds’ ingredient testing policies.

Corporate Parent Testing Policy

Ponds is owned by Unilever, who would like to end animal testing… but ultimately admits it submits to animal testing and testing on ingredients by suppliers in its testing policy (see highlighted):

Many cruelty free brands now choose to take an ethical stand and do not test on animals anywhere in their supply chain. Brands serious about cruelty free cosmetics will certify with 3rd parties and provide explicit statements ensuring no testing has occurred on their products or ingredients by either them or their suppliers.

Unfortunately, Ponds is not a brand that has committed 100% to eliminating all animal testing across their supply chain, or alternatively, providing more explicit disclosure on this controversial topic.

Is PONDS Vegan Friendly?

Ponds is not vegan. They do not provide vegan labelling on products, nor are they certified as vegan with either Leaping Bunny or Peta. It is likely some of their products contain animal-derived ingredients, as these are often less expensive to source as cosmetic ingredients.

It’s safe to assume that if a brand has not declared vegan status they allow the use of animal-derived ingredients in their formulations. Most brands are not vegan because it’s much more expensive to source and manage vegan raw materials through supply chains.

Common animal-derived ingredients

Ingredients that are often sourced from animals include:

• Hyaluronic Acid – often found in serums and moisturizers
• Retinol – found in some night creams
• Carmine – often found in blush and lipstick
• Stearic Acid – found in skin creams
• Glycerin – a humectant found in many moisturizers
• Lanolin – in some moisturizers
• Lactic Acid – found in some Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)
• Beeswax – often found in lipstick and lip balms
• Animal hair – used in makeup brushes
• Guanine – can be used in nail polish and eye shadow
• Keratin – in hair and nail products
• Squalene – in moisturizers, eye creams and facial oils

The bottom line with vegan cosmetics is it’s really difficult to tell from the ingredient list if the source is animal or synthetic versions. As shoppers we can only rely on vegan labelling, certification and other disclosures offered by the brand.

Our Vegan Shopping Advice

If a product is not advertised and labelled as 100% vegan you should assume it contains animal-derived ingredients.

We also want to understand if the entire brand is vegan… or just select products.

For ethical reasons many people now only use vegan products from a brand that is 100% vegan and free of animal ingredients.

Who owns PONDS Brand?

Ponds is a large cosmetics brand owned by Unilever who is a large personal care, cosmetics and household product conglomerate. Unilever is not cruelty-free.

Unilver owns many other popular personal care brands including hair care and skin care brands such as Dove, Suave, and Simple.

They have a few certified cruelty free brands under the Unilever which include:

• Dove
• St. Ives
• Love Beauty and Planet

Unilever admits they test on animals. Their animal testing policy states that some of their suppliers test on ingredients and certain countries they sell in will test their products on animals.

More PONDS Cruelty-Free FAQS

PONDS cruelty-free Summary

Here is a summary of Ponds’ cruelty-free assessment. Ponds is not a cruelty-free brand at this time. To become cruelty-free Ponds would have to stop selling in countries that require animal testing and only use ingredients from suppliers that do not test on animals.

Tests finished products on animals?	Yes, when required by law
Tests ingredients on animals?	Likely – similar to parent
Suppliers test on animals?	Likely
Leaping Bunny Certified?	No
Peta Certified?	No
Uses animal-derived ingredients?	Likely
Vegan?	No
Sold in Mainland China?	Yes
Parent company?	Unilever
Are all parent company brands cruelty-free?	No

Why we don’t consider PONDS a cruelty-free brand

To start with, there is no legal definition for the claims of “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” that are used by skin care brands.

The most common definition for “cruelty-free” is that a product or its ingredients were not tested on animals.

Where this gets murky is when brands only talk about their direct testing activities, and omit facts about 3rd party animal testing that may take place on their products or ingredients.

We don’t consider Ponds to be cruelty-free because they allow their products to be tested on animals in China. They are also silent on ingredient testing by others in their animal testing disclosure.

Our Cruelty-Free Standard

At Beauty + Kind our standard for “cruelty-free” and “not tested on animals” is very simple. We require brand disclosure that no animal testing has occurred during any part of bringing their product to market by any party. This includes testing on raw materials, ingredients, finished products or selling in countries where animal testing is required by law.

Beauty + Kind

Unfortunately Ponds does not meet our Beauty + Kind highest standard due to their China animal testing and lack of vegan formulations.

Ponds Cruelty-Free and vegan Alternatives

If your looking to switch to more ethical brands, here are some cruelty-free and vegan options to consider:

Certified Cruelty Free

Take the guess work out of it and browse the ultimate list of cruelty free makeup and skin care brands.

Certified Vegan

Easily find brands that certify they don’t use animal-derived ingredients on the list of vegan makeup and skin care brands.

Certified Natural

Learn more about brands using natural formulations on the ultimate list of natural makeup and skin care brands.

Certified Organic

Discover brands focused on botanicals and organics on the ultimate list of organic makeup and skin care brands.

DIY Clean Beauty

Have some fun creating clean beauty formulations from the ultimate list of DIY makeup and skin care recipes.

Should You switch to kinder beauty brands?

Our philosophy and Beauty + Kind is that TRUE CRUELTY-FREE BEAUTY means that no harm to animals has happened during the entire manufacturing and testing process. This includes the source and harvest of ingredients, ingredient testing, and testing of the final product.

How to make the Switch to Animal-Friendly Brands

Making the switch is easier than you think once you have the right information. If you want to switch to more ethical and animal-friendly beauty brands check out the ultimate list of vegan and cruelty-free brands.