If you love Urban Decay and living a cruelty free life we have good news for you.
Using and supporting Urban Decay makeup and skin care is aligned with an ethical lifestyle.
We’ll show you why we consider Urban Decay Cruelty Free, and also point out some small concerns in their animal testing policy you’ll need to monitor overtime if you want to only use cruelty free makeup brands.
… so let’s dive in.
is Urban Decay cruelty free?
Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand. They do not sell cosmetics in countries requiring animal testing and certify to PETA they are cruelty free.
L’Oreál owns Urban Decay and is a company that does test on animals.
Does Urban Decay test on animals?
No, Urban Decay Cosmetics does not test on animals and is very clear about it in their testing policy.
…But will this change being owned by a parent company who tests on animals?
…Will they continue to resist the urge to enter the huge China market… or avoid it to remain cruelty-free?
…this part gets interesting… but before we dive into this issue – let’s explore their actual testing policy.
Urban Decay animal testing policy
Here is the full Urban Decay Animal Testing policy from their website:
More on this in a bit… first we need to talk about testing in China.
Does Urban Decay sell in China?
No, Urban Decay Cosmetics currently does not sell in Mainland China, however they do sell in Hong Kong. With the recent legal changes China has made in Hong Kong this is an area we are watching closely to see if Hong Kong will eventually fall under Mainland China animal testing policies. If that were to happen many cosmetic brands’ cruelty-free status would be put at risk.
If Urban Decay chose to sell in Mainland China they would be required to have their products tested on animals to meet China’s product safety laws.
Let’s hope they remain committed to their cruelty-free commitment and resist the urge to sell in China.
Does Urban Decay Cosmetics Certify as Cruelty Free?
Yes! Urban Decay Cosmetics is certified with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as cruelty free.
PETA certification requires a brand to provide a Statement of Assurance attesting that it “does not and shall not conduct, commission, or pay for animal testing of any cosmetics and/or household products, nor will it conduct, commission, or pay for animal testing of ingredients used in, or formulations of, such products…. including, without limitation, formulations and ingredients of such products”
Does Urban Decay Certify with Leaping Bunny?
No. Urban Decay does not certify with Leaping Bunny as cruelty free which is considered the gold-standard cruelty free certification due to its very specific requirements:
Leaping Bunny certification requires a brand to provide a Statement of Assurance attesting that:
- “The Company does not and shall not conduct, Commission, or be a party to Animal Testing of any Cosmetic and/or Household Products including, without limitation, formulations and Ingredients of such products.
- The Company does not and shall not purchase any Ingredient, formulation, or product from any Third Party Manufacturer or Supplier that conducted, Commissioned, or had been party to Animal Testing on said Ingredient, formulation, or product after the Company’s Fixed Cut-off Date. If a formulation, Ingredient, or product is found not to comply with the Standard, the Company will replace it with an alternative that complies with the Standard’s criteria or remove it from the product range.
- The Company must implement a Supplier Monitoring System.
- The Company shall not allow Animal Testing to be performed by or for submission to regulatory agencies in foreign countries.”
Do Urban Decay’s Ingredient Suppliers Test on Animals?
So… the next step in our investigation dives into Urban Decay’s ingredient testing policies.
BTW… in case you didn’t know… most animal testing occurs at the ingredient level, and not the product level.
What we really want to know is if any animal testing happens on Urban Decay ingredients…
Does the Urban Decay animal testing policy prohibit the testing of ingredients and raw materials on animals?
Here is what we found on supplier testing
What we discovered is Urban Decay is completely transparent on this issue of ingredient testing, and clearly discloses suppliers must also certify raw materials as cruelty free:
“Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand and is committed to ending animal testing. We do not test our products on animals, nor do we allow others to test on our behalf. Additionally, we require our suppliers to certify that the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are not tested on animals. Our Brand is certified by PETA as cruelty-free.”
What disclosure is missing
The only additional disclosure we think could benefit everyone is if Urban Decay certified with Leaping Bunny as cruelty free to show the additional commitment of not selling in foreign countries like China that require animal testing.
…are they leaving the door open to entering China? Only time will tell.
Urban Decay is one of several cruelty free brands now choosing to take an ethical stand and not test on animals anywhere in their supply chain.
Urban Decay is a brand that has committed 100% to no animal testing across their supply chain.
Is Urban Decay Vegan Friendly?
Urban Decay is not a vegan brand, but do offer vegan product options! They do provide vegan labelling on their vegan products and seem committed to transitioning their entire line to vegan ingredients if it’s possible.
When a brand does not clearly indicate vegan status it’s safe to assume that 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.
With Urban Decay clearly identifying which of their products are vegan it shows they are committed to cruelty free beauty. Let’s hope they get to 100% vegan status soon!
Our Vegan Cosmetics Shopping Advice
If a product is not advertised and labelled as 100% vegan you should assume it contains animal-derived ingredients.
For ethical reasons many people only use vegan products from a brand that is 100% vegan and free of animal ingredients.
Who owns Urban Decay Cosmetics?
Urban Decay is a large cosmetics brand owned by L’Oreál who is a large cosmetics conglomerate. L’Oreál is not cruelty-free.
It will be interesting to see if Urban Decay changes its cruelty-free position over time being owned by a parent company that sells most of its brands in China where animal testing is required by law… time will tell.
L’Oreál owns more than 25 other popular cosmetic brands such as Lancome, Urban Decay, Kiehl’s, La Roche-Posay, and Maybelline.
L’Oreál admits they allow regulators to test on animals. Their testing policy states “Certain health authorities may nevertheless decide to conduct animal tests themselves for certain cosmetic products, as it is still the case in China”.
More Urban Decay Cosmetics Cruelty-Free FAQS
Is Urban Decay cruelty free in the US?
Yes, and they clearly disclose no ingredient suppliers test on animals.
Is Urban Decay on Peta’s Cruelty Free List?
Yes, Urban Decay has certified with Peta as cruelty-free.
Is Urban Decay on Leaping Bunny Approved cruelty-free list?
No, Urban Decay has not certified with Leaping Bunny as either cruelty-free or vegan.
Is Urban Decay Animal Friendly?
No, Urban Decay is not animal friendly as it uses animal-derived ingredients in its formulations.
Is Urban Decay Cruelty-Free and Vegan?
No, Urban Decay is cruelty-free, but not vegan and uses animal-derived ingredients in some of its products.
Urban Decay Cruelty-Free Summary
Here is a summary of Urban Decay’s cruelty-free assessment. Urban Decay is a cruelty-free brand at this time.
| Tests finished products on animals? | No |
| Tests ingredients on animals? | No |
| Suppliers test on animals? | No |
| Leaping Bunny Certified? | No |
| Peta Certified? | Yes |
| Uses animal-derived ingredients? | Yes |
| Vegan? | No, but has some vegan products |
| Sold in Mainland China? | No |
| Parent company? | L’Oreál |
| Are all parent company brands cruelty-free? | No |
Why we consider Urban Decay 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 cosmetic 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.
Is Urban Decay cruelty free? We consider Urban Decay to be a cruelty-free brand because they do not allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals.
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
Urban Decay Cruelty-Free and vegan Alternatives
If your looking to switch to even 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.
Unfortunately Urban Decay Cosmetics does not meet our Beauty + Kind highest standards due to their use of animal-derived ingredients (which involve animal suffering).
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.
Leave a Reply