Superdrug tends to be my makeup store of choice, because of their own-brand cruelty free policy and their tendency to stock more cruelty free brands. They do still stock quite a few brands that are affiliated with animal testing, but fewer than most.
So far, I haven’t seen much information about which brands are cruelty-free and which aren’t, so I decided to do some digging. I have seen a couple of ‘Cruelty-Free at Superdrug’ posts knocking about, but they’re either incomplete or a bit mislead about what cruelty-free is (although, everybody has their own definition of cruelty-free).
In my opinion, if a brand wants to call themselves cruelty-free they should:
- not conduct any animal testing
- not have any other companies conduct animal testing on their behalf
- ensure that their raw ingredients aren’t tested on animals
- refuse to sell their products in Mainland China, due to their post-market testing policies
There are a few different certifications that claim to determine if a brand is cruelty free, to different levels of accuracy. If a brand is certified by Cruelty Free International (the Leaping Bunny Logo), you pretty much can’t get more sure that they don’t test on animals. If a brand is certified by Peta, on the other hand, I wouldn’t be so sure.
Click here to read more about whether or not we can trust cruelty-free labels in the UK
This list is exclusive to makeup brands at Superdrug; I’ll be covering other stores in future posts, so stay tuned for those!
Makeup Brands at Superdrug that ARE Cruelty-Free:
B.
This is Superdrug’s own makeup brand. They are certified cruelty-free by the Leaping Bunny Program and every one of their products is suitable for vegans!
Barry M
Although they’re known for their nail polishes, Barry M have a wide range of makeup which is all cruelty-free; they’re associated with the Be Cruelty Free campaign run by the Humane Society. You can find out which products are suitable for vegans by clicking here.
Bleach London
Bleach London are one of my absolute fave brands. They’re not just cruelty free, but almost everything is vegan and they’re pretty eco-friendly, too. Click here to find out what’s vegan, and what they’re doing to reduce their carbon footprint!
e.l.f
Another amazing, affordable brand – I have soooo many of their eyeshadow palettes! They’re 100% cruelty free and vegan.
Sleek
Sleek Makeup have a full cruelty-free statement on their website, which I covered in this post. You can also read why none of their products are suitable for vegans.
GOSH
Gosh are another one of my favourite brands – you can see my review of their flagship foundation here. They’re cruelty-free, and the first thing you come across on their website is the option to view their list of vegan products!
Makeup Revolution, I ♥ Revolution & Freedom Makeup London
These three brands are actually separate lines from the same brand, Revolution Beauty London. They’re in the same category as Sleek – their online statement is minimal but other bloggers have had confirmation from them that they’re cruelty-free and, again, I’ve contacted them for an update! They also have a very easy-to-access list of vegan products on their website, which is great.
MUA
MUA have a very affordable range of vegan products (again, you can find out which are vegan by going on their website) and they’re certified cruelty-free by Peta.
Lottie London
Lottie London is a fairly new brand to have appeared on the shelves of Superdrug, and they’re certified cruelty-free by Peta. Again, you can find a list of vegan products on their website!
Nip + Fab
Nip + Fab state on their website that they’re cruelty-free, but don’t go into much detail about what that means. I emailed them for a statement, and their reply satisfied me that they definitely don’t test on animals. As for vegan products, that’s still a little up in the air, I’m afraid!
Tanya Burr
(Discontinued)
The Balm
(No longer stocked at Superdrug)
Read: The 7 Best Vegan Brands in the UK
Brands with Unclear Policies:
C.A.K.E.
I contacted Cake cosmetics to find out more about their cruelty-free status, but the reply I received was slightly confusing. It said that they are cruelty-free, and in the process of applying for their ‘cruelty-free bunny’ (although it didn’t state which one. It then went on to say that some of their products are made in the UK, which meant they weren’t tested on animals. So… does that mean some others ARE tested on animals? Confused. Either way, hopefully we’ll get a clear answer when they achieve an accredited cruelty-free status!
Collection
Last year, I remember reading a tonne of blog posts about how Collection had started selling their products in China, and were therefore no longer cruelty-free, however now I’ve come to research this post I can’t find confirmation of this anywhere! How frustrating! Either way, I won’t be classing them as cruelty-free until I can be sure.
NOT Cruelty-Free Makeup:
There are many reasons that brands are considered to be ‘animal testers’ or ‘not cruelty-free’. Some companies have been caught red-handed by undercover journalists, others simply refuse to comment, and some brands sell their products in China, even though animal testing is legally required there. (You can click here to read my blog post on why that’s so rubbish of them.) The following brands available at Superdrug are NOT cruelty-free:
- Bourjois
- Essie
- Know Cosmetics
- L’Oreal Paris
- Maybelline
- Max Factor
- Miss Sporty
- Revlon
- Rimmel
Have you tried any of the brands on this list? Let me know!
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