Is Love, Beauty and Planet Cruelty-Free?

Love Beauty and Planet is not 100% cruelty-free and will not be added to the Cruelty-Free Brands List. They can be found on the Brands to Avoid List. There has been a lot of confusion from fellow beauty bloggers as well as consumers around Love Beauty and Planet’s cruelty-free status. This is especially true since Love Beauty and Planet is certified cruelty-free and vegan by PETA. After getting several questions about it, I reached out to the brand directly to understand their cruelty-free status fully. Keep reading to find out why Love Beauty and Planet is not Free The Bunnies approved cruelty-free.

Does Love Beauty and Planet TEst on Animals?

I reached out to Love Beauty and Planet to discuss their cruelty-free status. See below our first email exchange:

Hi Love Beauty and Planet,

My name is Stephanie from Free The Bunnies, one of the top cruelty free resources that my audience can trust and align with. Would you be willing to discuss your brand’s cruelty free status with me by answering the following questions? I would love to add Love Beauty and Planet to my cruelty-free database! 

I understand you are PETA certified cruelty-free, but if you could answer the following directly and individually, that would be super appreciated!

1. Does the brand test your products on animals at any point in production?
2. Are the brand’s ingredients tested on animals? How do you verify this?
3. Does the brand outsource any animal testing to a third party? 
4. Is the brand sold in countries that require animal testing by law?

Thank you,
Stephanie Kilbourn
www.freethebunnies.com
Instagram: @freethebunnieslife

Unilever, the parent company, responded with:

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you for contacting Love Beauty and Planet. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

We do not test our products on animals and are committed to ending animal testing. Unilever has complied with the EU animal testing bans for cosmetics since 2004 and supports calls for similar bans to be introduced globally. Our commitment to no animal testing extends to the ingredients provided by our suppliers. The PETA accreditation has a requirement for statements of assurance by suppliers, which we comply with. Love Beauty and Planet will continue to enact a policy prohibiting any animal tests, anywhere in the world.

To learn more about our position and our work on non-animal approaches, please see our website: www.unilever.com/sustainable-
living/what-matters-to-you/
developing-alternative-
approaches-to-animal-testing.html.

Thank you for being a loyal consumer, if you have any questions in the future please feel free to reach back out to us. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Love Beauty and Planet Consumer Services

This sounds good, right? Well this is what I call a severely blanketed email response. I asked them in my original email to answer each question individually and they sent me what seems to be a copy/paste email reply for what they tell all consumers. They said that they don’t test on animals anywhere in the world, but they don’t address the specific question I asked about whether or not they sell in China. I asked for further clarification and if they could answer my questions individually. They responded with:

Dear Stephanie,

Love Beauty and Planet does not test its products on animals at any point in the production cycle. We are independently certified Cruelty-Free and Vegan by PETA, which ensures that none of our ingredients or products are tested on animals. We do not outsource any animal testing to third parties nor do we sell our products in any country that requires animal testing as a marketing requirement. All of this information has been certified by PETA to qualify us to use the PETA cruelty-free logo on our website and on our packages so shoppers can be assured they are buying a product that has never and will never plan to test on animals.

Thank you for being a loyal consumer, if you have any questions in the future please feel free to reach back out to us. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Love Beauty and Planet Consumer Services

This sounds great, right? According to this email, Love Beauty and Planet does not test on animals, and neither do their ingredient suppliers. They also stated that their products are not sold in countries that require animal testing (or so they say).

So why is Love Beauty and Planet not ACTUALLY cruelty-free?

In 2014, China changed their animal testing regulations so that domestic products could bypass the pre-market animal testing requirement. If Love Beauty and Planet products are made in China, they are not required to undergo animal testing.

Pre-market animal testing = the product is tested on animals before it is available for sale on store shelves.

What this law did not change is post-market animal testing. Any product sold in China is subject to post-market animal testing, shall there be a consumer complaint or other concern. This is true for all imported product or domestic product.

Post-market animal testing = the product is pulled from the shelves to be tested on animals. Brands are not always notified if their products are pulled.

So, what does this have to do with Love Beauty and Planet? Their email response stated “nor do we sell our products in any country that requires animal testing as a marketing requirement.” They could only be referring to the pre-market animal testing requirement. However, post-market animal testing may still occur for any product sold in China. I have to know whether or not they sell specifically in China. China is not 100% cruelty-free at this time. Even if the pre-market requirement is bypassed, the products could still be subject to post-market animal testing.

I reached out to them a third time asking specifically if they sell their products in China. They responded with:

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you for reaching back out to us. We appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

Unfortunately, we do not have information on the availability, ingredients, or distribution of products purchased or manufactured outside the U.S. The various products which our company manufactures and markets in the U.S. are designed to meet the needs and preferences of the American consumer, along with our government regulatory standards, which are not necessarily the same as those in other countries.

Thank you for being a loyal consumer, we hope you have a great day.

Sincerely,

Love Beauty and Planet Consumer Services

So…. that’s strange. First, they told me that they don’t sell in countries where animal testing is required. Then they stated that they don’t have information on distribution of products outside the U.S. First, a brand as large as Unilever should know exactly where their products are being distributed. Second, if they “didn’t know” then they wouldn’t be able to tell me that their products aren’t sold in countries where animal testing is required. This is an example of a brand not willing to be transparent about their animal testing practices.

How can they be this dishonest and not transparent but be certified vegan and cruelty-free by PETA? Any brand that is 100% cruelty-free loves sharing it! The fact that Unilever is not sharing details tells me that Love Beauty and Planet is not cruelty-free.

love beauty and planet is still owned by unilever and not 100% cruelty-free ANYWAY

Despite the lack of transparency, the brand is still owned by Unilever. Unilever is a giant corporation that is not cruelty-free. They test on animals where it is required by law. Love Beauty and Planet is not 100% cruelty-free. Typically, brands under Unilever follow Unilever’s regulations, so it would be no surprise to me if Love, Beauty, and Planet was sold in China as well.

I’m very disappointed in the lack of transparency that I received from the brand. Even if a brand is not 100% cruelty-free, I give a lot of respect to the brands that tell me, openly and honestly. Here at Free The Bunnies, brand transparency is a huge part of what allows us to help consumers choose to support brands that coincide with their beliefs. If a brand can’t be honest and open with its consumers, less people are going to want to support them, even if they do coincide with their beliefs. I hope in the future, Love Beauty and Planet will decide to be more transparent with their consumers. As soon as I know more, I will be sure to provide an update.

Verdict: Love Beauty and Planet is owned by Unilever and not 100% cruelty-free. They could also be selling in China, where animal testing is unavoidable, either in pre-market or post-market testing. Love Beauty and Planet is not Free The Bunnies approved.

For a full list of 100% cruelty-free brands, click here!

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XO, Stephanie

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