The short answer: No, Garnier is not entirely cruelty free.
The long answer: Garnier belongs to L’Oreal, a French personal care company that claims it “does not test any of its products on animals and has been at the forefront of alternative methods for over 30 years.” Nevertheless, it sells its products in China—a country known for requiring animal testing on imported beauty products.
On its UK website, Garnier states that it does not sell its products in China. However, Suzanna Rose of Cruelty Free Kitty revealed some surprising news following her email correspondence with the brand on April 27, 2020. Rose reported that Garnier actually sells their products in mainland China—an important detail that was not shared in their UK site.
When questioned, Garnier cleared up the matter by saying, “L’Oréal has been committed to working alongside the Chinese authorities and scientists to have alternative testing methods recognized, and enable the cosmetics regulation to evolve towards a total and definite elimination of animal testing. Thus, today the product[s] manufactured and sold in China called “non-functional” such as shampoo, body wash, or make-up are already no longer tested on animals. We have opened an Episkin Center in Shanghai [in] 2014, enabling us to produce reconstructed skins. These skins are used to safety tests in vitro that do not involve animals and are made available for the Chinese authorities.”
Despite these positive actions towards animal-free testing, Garnier and L’Oréal cannot be 100% sure their products are not being taken off shelves in China by third parties and tested on animals. As such, they cannot claim to be completely cruelty free.
Discover which brands are cruelty free by exploring our growing list.
References:
Why PETA-Approved Brands Who Sell In China Are Not Cruelty-Free (Dove, Herbal Essences, Garnier)
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