If you’re wondering which brands found at Sephora test on animals, and which ones are cruelty-free, this is your definitive guide. At Cruelty-Free Kitty, we’ve contacted over 1200+ brands to find out their animal testing policy, and we only include brands that fulfill our strict criteria. Whether you’re looking for makeup, skincare, hair products, or even fragrance, here are all the cruelty-free brands available at Sephora.
Welcome to our 2024 update of our list of cruelty-free Sephora brands.
This list is constantly updated, and none of the companies below sell their products in China or test on animals where required by law.
If any company on the list starts selling in China, it loses its cruelty-free status, and is then removed from the list. At the moment, only NARS has decided to expand to the Chinese market, which means NARS is no longer cruelty-free.
In this list you’ll also find a handful of skincare brands, as well as some hair and nail polish brands. Every brand on this list is 100% verified cruelty-free.
As for companies that do test on animals, the list is long: Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Benefit, Estée Lauder, Clinique, the Sephora brand, Bobbi Brown, Givenchy, Make Up For Ever, Marc Jacobs Fragrances — not to be confused with Marc Jacobs Beauty –, and more. Those are definitely not cruelty-free and they do test on animals, in most cases in China.
The list below is constantly updated. More brands will be added as I get in touch with the companies.
Click on your favorite brands to check out their new products. The links open in a new tab.
Cruelty-Free Makeup At Sephora
Is The Sephora Brand Cruelty-Free?
The Sephora makeup brand itself is NOT cruelty-free. Sephora doesn't test on animals except when required by law, and their products are being sold in China, where animal testing is required by law.
Brands Owned By Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Companies
Some brands on the list above are owned by parent companies that test on animals.
For example, Hourglass is owned by Unilever and Urban Decay is owned by L'Oréal.
Some people choose to support such companies and some don't. There are pros and cons, and this is a personal decision you can make. It's important to note that these cruelty-free brands are still cruelty-free, no matter their parent company. The brand that owns them doesn't have an impact on their actual cruelty-free status.
If you wish to buy from only brands that have a cruelty-free parent company, you can refine the list using the filter options at the top.
Thank you so much for this, I’ve been trying to figure out and reading labels doesn’t alway give the information easily, this is a huge help!!!!!
I read Sephora is not cruelty free themselves so I refuse to shop at their locations. I’d rather buy online directly from the company or shop at Ulta
suzi, been recently looking at jack black because they’re CF, vegan and don’t sell in china. any idea who their parent company is and if they are CF?
Thank you for this incredible list! It has saved me from a lot of research. I just found another hair care brand that is sold at Sephora and is cruelty-free: devacurl! I checked both on their website and the PETA website. It has the PETA label and does not test.
Thank you so much for mentioning that, Cassie! I was hoping DevaCurl was CF! 😀
The sephora makeup brushes are cruelty free.
I totally agree and that’s what I’ve been trying to do…up until now. The amount of CF brands being eaten up by non CF brands is ever growing (tarte, nyx, Nars, UD to name a few) and it’s becoming more limited and difficult to find brands (and therefore products!) that work.
Either the brands products are not good, or they are ridiculously expensive. And it’s sort of “forced” (because I know no one is holding an axe to my head but…) me into looking at CF brands owned by non CF parents.
Hey Claire- Yes, they do. Urban Decay is cruelty-free, but they’re owned by a company that isn’t. Some people choose to support UD since the brand is still cruelty-free, and some don’t because the profits will go to L’Oreal.
I’ve heard multiple things regarding whether or not Smashbox is cruelty free. Do you know if they are CF??
Mercier is completely cruelty free
Hi suzi! I was wondering if philosophy would be on this list? i thought they were cruelty free?
They don’t test on animals and aren’t sold in China, but their parent company Coty tests on animals where required by law. This is why I no longer have them on my cruelty-free list.
what about MILK MAKEUP?
Yes, I received a response and they’ll be added soon!
I would love to hear about the brands that don’t contain palm oil or contribute to deforestation.
Thank you for the information. 🙂
Hi Suzi! Was wondering if you’ve gotten in touch with Besame Cosmetics. Sephora sells it only online and it’s supposed to be cruelty free and made in America. Thanks! http://www.sephora.com/brightening-setting-face-powder-P390310?keyword=B%C3%A9SAME%20COSMETICS%20Brightening%20Setting%20Face%20Powder%20P390310&skuId=1668060&_requestid=235576
Thank you so much for the efforts you put on making this list. It is such a great help.
Anastasia made their latest highlighter in china
They don’t sell in China though, so there’s no animal testing going on!
Ole Henriksen was aquired by LVMH in 2011, but it’s not displayed on their website, just like how Unilever doesn’t show that they acquired Murad, Dermalgica, and Kate Somerville in 2015: (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110207005661/en/LVMH-Acquires-Renowned-Skincare-Brand-Ole-Henriksen) and (http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Business-Financial/Unilever-on-skin-care-acquisition-trail-again-this-time-buying-Murad)
Thanks for the list! Such a great reference to shop with. What do the asterisks next to Ren and Murad mean?
They’re cruelty-free, but they’re owned by parent companies that test on animals!
I thought that Benefit was cruelty free? according to their website, they are..
definitely not!! they’re also owned by LVMH
Benefit does not test their products on animals, however they are owned by a non-cruelty free parent company and have not disclosed the testing of their ingredients pre-production.
What about sleek make up? I ve sent them an email but they did not respond!
Apparently they are.
Hi Suzi! I love your blog – Thank you so much for this info! BTW do you know if Surratt Beauty is cruelty free? I bought their lipstick from Sephora but I can’t find their animal testing policy and they never replied my email. Should I return this? 🙁
Curious about Surratt too. Seeing them more in magazines.
I personally still buy NARS, Bare Minerals, and Buxom. I want to let Shishedo know (with my money) that I value their CF brands and hopefully the rest of their brands will follow suit. I wobble on this a bit. Does anyone else feel the same?
I feel the same and I also wobble on it. I generally try to find a completely cruelty free brand, but if that isn’t an option, then I’ll go for a brand owned by a parent company. You can definitely argue that it’s bad to support a parent company that tests on animals, but what about supporting a store that also sells products that are tested on animals? Or a mall that allows stores that sell makeup tested on animals? At some point it clearly becomes ridiculous, but I think it’s a line everyone has to draw for themselves. Like you, I hope that purchasing from cruelty free brands, their non-cruelty free parent companies will realize CF is profitable. Or, alternatively, that cruelty free brands will see that a certain product or shade sells well and will make their own version. But I’d much rather that all brands would just stop animal testing and I wouldn’t have to go through all this research just to buy makeup.
I went to my local Sephora yesterday to browse and pick up my birthday freebie, and got sidetracked by an employee trying to sell me stuff. I specifically told her I was only interested in cruelty-free products, and she gave me samples of Caudalie, telling me she knew ‘for a fact’ that it was a CF brand. I was pretty sure that I remembered seeing that they weren’t, but didn’t have the nerve to correct her at the time. In hindsight, I really wish I could have spoken up, and now I want to write an email to send to that store’s management. I’d like to tell them to educate their employees, so others won’t make the same mistake; but I have no idea how to word it so that it comes across as informative, yet polite, so that my email isn’t just ignored.
That’s a great idea! I’ll try to come up with a template.
I had the same experience at Ulta on Monday. I was searching for good products within the First Aid Beauty cosmetic line. Another cosmetic sales rep asked me to check out their products instead. I inquired about CF, and I was told “of course.”
This may help: I recently went to a Sephora and voiced similar concerns, and the girl went and got a clipboard with different lists. One was CF brands. I didn’t see them differentiating between CF, 100% CF and vegan, but otherwise it was accurate. Maybe (hopefully) this is newly distributed to all stores?
Sephora is amazing at educating their employees, but the fact is, there are so many brands sold there that it’s impossible for employees to have lists memorized of which brands are cruelty free, or vegan, or gluten free etc. People have all sorts of stipulations for their products and a lot of times employees have to look at the packaging for that type of information, and it does say on Caudalie’s packaging that they are against animal testing. I’ve worked there as a skincare consultant for 3 years and the list of CF brands is constantly changing – so even if I did have it memorized or even printed out to look at, it still might not be totally up to date. I try my hardest to keep up because I’m an animal lover, but when I’m out on the sales floor and have nothing to reference except the box, it’s very hard to be 100 percent sure about things like this.
You’re right, it is hard to be 100% sure and there’s no way employees can be expected to remember what brands are/aren’t CF at a retailer carrying as many lines as they do. AND: that particular staffer really ought not have claimed she knew Caudalie was for-sure CF. An honest answer, “To my best recollection, I believe they are, but that would have to be confirmed.” would have been a better approach.
That’s something Sephora employees should be better educated on in general: when to admit you do not have an answer, checking for one if possible, and/or asking another staffer if they know. I’ve had a few experiences at Sephora where someone clearly did not have an answer to something and talked out their a** instead of being honest. Big factor in why I pretty much only shop online from those guys now. 😉
I thought I saw Dior listed as cruelty free on a PETA writeup about fragrance.. did it change or is there another reason why you don’t consider it cruelty free? Or maybe I misread it, I was trying to find a high end fragrance that was cruelty free.
Hi! I see your list is updated for 2016, but when did Givenchy start testing on animals? I wrote to them a bit ago to ask if 1, they test, and 2, do they use fur in their clothing line. The answer to 1 was an emphatic NO they do not. The answer to 2 was, unfortunately, yes. Are they testing the products that are shipped to China because the Chinese are insisting on it? And their products to everyone else are not tested?
What a fabulous list, thank you so much. What about Cinema Secrets, which is on Sephora.com?
Of course you can share it on FB! Thanks! 🙂
Hi, I’d like to know if Bare Minerals tests on animals?
Thanks Linda! Hopefully there’s a big ban soon.
Thank you for the updated list. This needs to get out to the Sephora consumers. Sadly, one of my favorites is not on the cruelty free list and I will find cruelty free alternatives. If I am understanding correctly a company may be cruelty free ,but if they sell their products in China there are not because China requires them to test on animals before they can sell in China? So the list that are cruelty free do not sell there?
Correct. 🙂