If you’re concerned about animal welfare and only buying products from brands that don’t test on animals, then you need to do some quick research into specific cosmetic brands. Even some of the leading brands that claim to be cruelty-free are not 100% cruelty-free.
Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly easier for a brand to appear cruelty-free when they might not actually be.
There are countless loopholes that can be made to appear like they don’t test on animals, such as not discussing parent companies, third-parties, and what countries they sell their products to.
So, what about NARS? NARS is an iconic high-end luxury makeup brand that is commonly used by celebrities, influencers, and makeup artists alike. However, does NARS test on animals?
Here is everything you need to know about whether NARS is cruelty-free or not.
Does NARS Test On Animals?
Let’s set the record straight. While the official website states that NARS does not test any of their products on animals, NARS actually isn’t a 100% cruelty-free brand.
The reason for this is that NARS falls through the cracks with what deems a brand to be cruelty-free. When you look at the website, NARS states that they do not test on animals nor ask others (such as third-parties and suppliers) to test on animals, except for when it is required by law.
What this essentially means is that NARS doesn’t have any proof that they are 100% cruelty-free. Instead, they can fall under the guise of appearing like a cruelty-free brand, because they don’t explicitly test their products on animals.
NARS And China
The main reason why NARS is not considered a cruelty-free brand is because they continue to sell their products in China.
China is the only country in the world that requires all international products (such as cosmetic, skincare, and hair care products) to be tested on animals prior to being sold in stores.
This rule used to count for all products, but has since excluded products produced inside China. Instead, it only applies to international products, and is enforced due to safety concerns and to maintain public satisfaction.
Unfortunately, the makeup brands that are sold in China don’t have a say in whether their products cannot be tested on animals.
As it is legally required by law for this process to happen, and considering China garners a huge profit for the brands, it’s not a law that is likely to change any time soon.
Not only are international cosmetic products tested on animals before going on the market, but there are also post-market testing rules that need to be followed.
Post-market testing means that officials have the right to pull products from the shelves and complete either routine or non-routine forms of testing.
While both routine and non-routine forms of testing used to consist of animal testing, it has since been banned for routine testing. It is now rare but not uncommon for post-market products to be tested on animals in a non-routine test, but it is never specified.
Due to the fact that NARS sells their products in China, which is notorious for testing their products on animals, then NARS cannot be considered a 100% cruelty-free brand.
What Is NARS’ Parent Company?
Not only do you have to consider whether a brand sells its products in China, but you’ve also got to think about the ethics of the brand’s parent company. The parent organization of NARS is Shiseido, which is a multinational cosmetics company based in both Japan and America.
Shiseido, unfortunately, is not 100% cruelty-free. Just like its child brand NARS, Shisheido maintains a fairly vague approach to its stance on animal testing.
Its website concludes that while Shiseido does not explicitly test its products on animals, this doesn’t count for selling their products to places where animal testing is required by law.
Not only this, but Shiseido will also make exceptions for when there are no other means of testing. It is not clear whether these vague forms of testing are performed by NARS.
As a result, some vegans and animal rights activists don’t feel comfortable purchasing makeup from NARS.
This is because their money is inadvertently going to support Shiseido, which have admitted to not only selling their products in China, but also turning to animal testing where no other forms of testing are available.
The comment made about using animal testing when there is no alternative is an interesting choice to make.
Given the popularity of animal rights activism and consciousness about the environment, hundreds of cosmetics companies have committed to finding new forms of testing that don’t harm animals, so it doesn’t make sense why Shiseido has openly admitted to testing on animals where “necessary”.
Is NARS Vegan?
Not all people who care about cruelty-free makeup will care if the products are vegan, but for those who are ethical vegans, let’s take a look at whether NARS is considered vegan or not.
Unfortunately, NARS is not a vegan brand. This is because most of their products contain some kind of animal by-product, such as honey or lanolin, which is the wax that derives from sheep’s wool.
While some of their products might not contain such ingredients, that doesn’t mean to say that cross-contamination hasn’t occurred.
Not only this, but the fact that NARS is a gray area in terms of animal testing is enough to prove that they are not a vegan brand. The fact that they sell their products to China means that they are not entirely against animal testing on a moral basis.
As a result, some vegans feel uncomfortable buying products from NARS. This is because their money is inadvertently going to financially support a brand that tests on animals elsewhere in the world – not to mention the gray area of the parent company, Shiseido.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! NARS is not a 100% cruelty-free brand, despite what their website states. Considering they continue to sell their products to China, which tests international products on animals, then they cannot be considered a cruelty-free brand.
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