Lord & Berry

April 23, 2015

Unfortunately, the e-mail they sent me has a non-disclosure policy, so I can't publish their answer here. However, they answered all of the questions that I sent them and based on their answers, I believe this brand to be cruelty free, although I'm still not sure whether they're vegan or not.
There's no information about the brand on Logical Harmony, PETA or Leaping Bunny.

Gilchrist & Soames

April 23, 2015

"I can state across the board that are company does not do any animal testing at all, nor do we use any animal byproducts in our products. Gilchrist & Soames is completely committed to a cruelty free environment; we NEVER test on animals."

Seems like not enough information to me. I will be putting them on Grey list until I get more information. They said that they don't test and they don't use animal byproducts. They haven't addressed whether there are any animal tests conducted by third party and whether they make sure that their ingredients aren't tested by their suppliers. They also haven't addressed whether they're sold in China. I will update if I get more information.

Coastal Scents

What their FAQ page says:

"We do not test products on animals and only support suppliers that do the same. All the products we carry are produced cruelty free and no animals are harmed. Even though some companies still test on animals, we believe that it is unnecessary, unethical and is scientifically unreliable. We want to be sure that our products are safe on humans, so our products are rigorously assessed and tested by human volunteers." 

What I got in an email on April 23rd, 2015

"All of our cosmetics are produced cruelty free. We do not test on animals and only support suppliers with the same policy. All products are made under FDA guidelines. A corresponding affirmation may be found in the 'About Us' section, at CoastalScents.com. 

...

Does your company or the parent company sell products in China or any other 
country which requires or reserves the right to animal test products sold 
there? 

We do ship to China and China no longer requires animal testing on cosmetics."

Everything looks look but they ship to China. I'm going to have to research more on that. They're also on Grey List on Logical Harmony. I will update when I have more information, but they're going to grey list for now. 

UPDATE: The brand responded saying that they only have an online store and no physical stores, including China.

Here's information they provided about vegan options:

"The majority of our Loose Mineral Makeup is vegan, as well as our Butters, African Black Soap, Essential Oils. For the specific ingredient list of each product, please view the Additional Info section of the product's page.

....

Our Natural brushes contain animal hair retrieved through the process of clipping or brushing. However, for customers who choose not to use brushes made from animal hair, we offer a variety of high-quality synthetic brushes."


I think that since there's no physical store in China and they only ship finished products there, there should be no animal testing occurring. I think they're cruelty-free but Logical Harmony has them on her grey area list. Decide for yourself! 

Bath & Body Works

April 23, 2015

"L Brands policy prohibits the testing of our branded products, formulations and ingredients on animals except in rare cases when required by government regulations. Through our involvement in the Institute For In Vitro Sciences, we are supporting research to develop additional non-animal alternative methods which we believe will ultimately result in the elimination of animal testing worldwide. 

Ekaterina, we do not sell our products in China, nor does our Parent Company Limited Brands."

They say they will test when required by law, but they don't sell in China. I haven't found substitutes for their products yet and will continue to use them until they enter Chinese market. They will go to the grey list and it's up to you to decide what you're comfortable with! 

Mitchell and Peach

April 24, 2015

"To answer your questions: there is no animal testing at any stage in our
supply chain. We do not sell in China. With the exception of the Bath Oil
and Soaps (which are vegan friendly) our products contain honey from our
hives. We are not affiliated with any other enterprise." 

They're going to Grey List, until I can get more clarification from them. 

J. Cat Beauty

April 23, 2015

"Are J.Cat Beauty finished products tested on animals? No

Are J.Cat Beauty products tested on animals on any stage of production? No

Does your company hire a third party to perform these tests on your behalf? No

Are J.Cat Beauty ingredients tested on animals and do you require verification of

this from your suppliers and manufacturers? No

Is J.Cat Beauty owned by a parent company? If so, what is the parent company's

animal testing policy? No

Does your company or the parent company sell products in China or any other

country which requires or reserves the right to animal test products sold

there? No

Does your company offer any vegetarian or vegan-friendly options?  Yes-all J.Cat Beauty’s Brushes"

I find this sufficient evidence that the brand is cruelty-free. They're also certified by PETA.

I'm starting my research with the brands that I receive through IPSY subscription. Here's the list of brands I've received form IPSY since February 2014. I ran them through Logical Harmony and grouped them accordingly. I contacted all the brands on the unknown list on 4/23/2015.

Brands that are cruelty-free according to Logical Harmony:

Ayres - 100% vegan

BareMinerals

BellaPierre Cosmetics - leaping bunny certified

CAILYN Cosmetics - leaping bunny certified

Elizabeth Mott

Epice International - 100% vegan

Jersey Shore Sun

LA Fresh Eco-Beauty - 100% vegan

Marc Anthony

Mullein & Sparrow

Nourish Organic

NYX 

Pacifica - 100% vegan

Pixi

Starlooks

tarte

theBalm

Urban Decay - leaping bunny certified

Zoya

Brands I couldn't get information on from LogicalHarmony:

Avene - says cruelty free, contacted them

Boo-Boo cover-up - no stance, contacted them

Briogeo - says they don't test, emailed them

Chella - no stance on website, contacted them 

City Color Cosmetics - say they're cruelty free, contacted them

Clear Clinic Laboratories - no stance on website, emailed them

Coastal Scents - Cruelty free by website, contacted them 

Crown Brush - no stance, contacted them

Demeter - say they are cruelty free, emailed them

Dr. Lin Skincare - no animal stance, contacted them

Emite Make Up - no stance, contacted them

Eva NYC - no stance, contacted them 

Gilchrist & Soames - contacted them

Hang Ten - no stance on website, emailed them

Hikari - says no testing, contacted them

J.Cat Beauty - cruelty free on website, emailed them, answered all questions, PETA certified

Jesse’s Girl - has a cruelty free stance, PETA certified 

Jouer - say they don't test, contacted them

Kiss (lashes)

Klorane - no stance, contacted them

L.A. Colors - no stance, tried to contact them and got an error, peta certified

Lord & Berry - no stance, contacted them

MicaBeauty - no stance, contacted them

Mitchel and Peach - no stance, contacted them 

ModelCo - say they're cruelty free, contacted them, PETA certified 

Models Own - no stance, emailed them

Nailtini - says cruelty free and vegan on their website, emailed them

Pandora’s Makeup Box - say they have vegan products, contacted them

POP Beauty - no cruelty free stance, contacted them 

Pur~lisse - says cruelty free, contacted them 

Pur minerals - says cruelty free on website, PETA certified, emailed them

Temptu - says no testing, contacted them

Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind - no stance, emailed them

Brands that are on Logical Harmony's avoid list: 

Bumble and Bumble

dr. brandt

Elizabeth Arden

Laneige

OPI

Purpose of the blog

This is the blog where I'm going to be posting the research that I do on cruelty-free brands. I'm doing it for my personal convenience, so that I have a place where I can quickly get information about brands I'm interested in.

I'm gonna mention that although my goal is to be cruelty-free, right now about 85% of my products are. There are certain brands or products that aren't cruelty-free but I haven't been able to give up, as I haven't found a decent dupe. I never buy from brands like L'Oreal or Johnson & Johnson, but I do have some L'Occitane and Dior products. There are also a lot of brands in a gray area and some of them I'm comfortable with and some of them I'm not. It's up to everyone to decide what they're comfortable with based on the research and information that they have. The two sources that I trust for cruelty-free certification are LogicalHarmony and Leaping Bunny. I also check with PETA, but don't trust them as much.

Hopefully this will prove to be a useful resource for me.