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 for this information. I can’t believe so many still do. I’m so bummed. Brands I buy and didn’t realize. Grrr.
Hi, Thank you so much for putting in such a great amount of time and effort to inform others of which companies are cruelty free! It is very appreciated 🙂
Ps, just to let you know that smashbox is also a cruelty free brand at sephora!
Hello ! Thanks for your post, I’ve been looking for it for so long !
What about Rituals ? I read that they are completely cruelty free ..
Sorry for the spelling errors, I come from France :))
What a great resource. I love all the work you’ve put into this, thank you!
I don’t think that Stila is cruelty-free, unfortunately. They may not test on animals but in their lipsticks they still use carmine, which is crushed up beetles.
Yes, of course, everyone has different definitions of what cruelty-free means to them! While Stila doesn’t conduct any animal testing, they do use non-vegan ingredients in their products (as do many other cruelty-free brands) so there is definitely a gray area there! I also personally choose to buy products with vegan-friendly ingredients. 🙂
Hello, I have a doubt… does Elf tests on animals or is it cruelty free? Because it is not on the list. Thank you so much!
Hi Daiana! e.l.f. is cruelty-free! 🙂 It is not available at Sephora, but can be found at Ulta, drugstores and online. Hope this helps!
Hello Daiana,
I recently ordered e.l.f products from iHerb. All the products to my surprise was made in China. Does that mean they test on animals?
Hi, i just purchased Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and noticed the bunny isn’t on the packaging or the bottle. Has something changed with their animal testing policies?
Hey! Im obsessed with this list and go back to it all the time! Especially as a Sephora employee who tries incredibly hard to be cruelty-free! We also carry Devacurl, a hair care brand, and it is cruelty-free!
Liz, Thanks so much for your kind words! I’m so glad it’s helpful to you, and congrats on being cruelty-free!
Thank you so much for writing this post. I love so many of these brands and I will definitely stick with them. This is awesome! <3
Something’s just occurred to me that may seem absurdly obvious to everyone else.. Sephora buys wholesale stock from some cruelty-free brands and then sells said stock in its stores for a considerably higher price to make a profit. So, basically, even if we only buy from the cruelty-free brands at Sephora, we are still directly contributing to the non cruelty-free practices of Sephora itself. Sephora is basically like a giant non cruelty-free parent company! Huh. Well that sucks.
According to another cruelty-free beauty blog I follow, Smashbox has recently gone cruelty-free 🙂
Someone might have already covered this, but I used to use Wen by Chad Dean until it dawned on me that it is sold/owned by Gunthy Renker who is a giant in the animal testing practice. 🙁 Just wanted to pass it along in the chance it might spare someone else some grief. Thanks for all the great info!
Thank you!
Does anyone know if soap and glory is cruelty free? their website statement isn’t clear
I would like to know that too
Hi! I was wondering if you had spoken to anyone at Belif about their skincare? I heard they were cruelty free some time ago, fell in love with the range, but now when doing my own research I’m not finding anything really convincing or definitive… which makes me suspicious! Also totally gutted about First Aid Beauty, their moisturiser was my fave 🙁
I did reach out to Belif but they didn’t answer my questions.
Thats a shame, I really did love their skincare, but I think no answer is bad news. Thanks for checking and thank you for all the effort you put into researching cruelty free brands in general – I recommend this site whenever I can, as you make it so easy!
What is the best product or products that will remove sun damage, acne scars, even skin tone, smooth skin and remove open pores. Thank you
I think Ouai is another cruelty free hair brand.
Hi Suzi, I just came across two cruelty free haircare brands from Sephora (though they’re mostly online exclusive for now) that I’m loving! Briogeo and Captain Blankenship (how cool is that name!?). I’m not sure where it would go, makeup vs. skincare, but there’s also Supergoop, which is primarily a sunscreen brand that has a great CC cream and moisturizers!
Thanks Dani! I actually reached out to Captain Blankenship and they’re cruelty-free, so I’ll be adding them. I’ll look into Briogeo!
Living proof?
First Aid Beauty,
How come they are now crossed off the list?
Hi I am wondering if Laura Mercier is CF? Also are the brands in the list that don’t test on animals but are owned by companies that do, still good to buy? Thanks!
Didn’t omorovicza just decide to remove their products from China to regain cruelty free status in January? I remember reading it somewhere.
Smashbox is cruelty free. It states on PETA they even recommend there products and it is stated on Smashbox website. I’m glad I did more research then going off of your list.
They only recently became “cruelty-free”, and I haven’t gotten a definite answer yet (which is why I didn’t add them to this list).
I always check your website first then I went to peta and
they recommended smashbox. If there on PETA there Cruelty
Free but I see your point.
You’re right, but they since removed the fake logo and it’s no longer on the current bottles. I’ll get an update up soon!
Thank you for putting together this list! I know you specify that the companies don’t test the ingredients or products on animals but do they contract out the testing to a different (3rd party) company, in which case I wouldn’t classify them cruelty free?
Hi Skippy! No, the brands listed here don’t allow third parties to test on their behalf.
I’ve heard that some Anastasia products are made in China. How can they be cruelty free then?
PETA’s website states that Stila is in fact a cruelty free brand, yet you have them listed as a brand that tests on animals…
Do you know if belif is cf? I thought I saw on another bloggers page that they were, but, I think you have the most updated accurate list. I got a sample of their aqua bomb, and I kinda love it. But before I purchase I want to make sure it is.
I reached out to them last week but never heard back.
Thank you! I know their site says “does not contain animal derived products,” but not if it’s cf.
Stila is now a cruelty free brand! They are PETA certified, and they do not sell in China 🙂
I thought I read somewhere that Urban Decay is no longer cruelty free due to selling in China , is that true?
They’re still cruelty-free and don’t sell in China. That happened in 2012ish, when they almost lost their status.