Is It Cosmetics Cruelty-Free?
It Cosmetics is vastly becoming one of the best brands for makeup there is. It was founded by former news anchor turned entrepreneur, Jamie Kern Lima. In 2008, Jamie sought to fill a void that was missing in the beauty and cosmetics industry back then. She struggles with hyperpigmentation and rosacea and couldn’t find a product that would cover her overly vibrant red cheeks. She worked with plastic surgeons to create a formula that has complete full coverage and anti-aging technology.
Since the start of the launch, It Cosmetics has been cruelty-free certified by PETA. If you log on to their website or have purchased any of their products, you can see the cruelty-free bunny logo. It Cosmetics is not certified cruelty free by Leaping Bunny (but remember that not all cruelty free brands register with Leaping Bunny).
However, while they are cruelty free, not all of their products are vegan and vegetarian. They do use animal-derived ingredients such as snail secretion filtrate (snail slime), silk proteins, and marine-derived collagen (from fish).
As for their brushes, they are 100% vegan. No animal hair whatsoever is used to make their brushes.
Let’s fast forward to 2016, which marks the year that It Cosmetics was bought for $1.2 billion (in cash) by L’Oréal. I know what you’re probably thinking; why should I care?
While L’Oréal does own a lot of cruelty free companies, they are not cruelty free. L’Oréal, unfortunately, continues to test their products on animals. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean It Cosmetics will become non-cruelty free. They remain under the same leadership with Jamie as CEO.
This is what is stated on their website: “It Cosmetics does not test on animals or use animal hair in our brushes. We have always been (and will always be) a 100% cruelty-free brand—that is our commitment to you, IT Girls!”
It looks like their cruelty-free status won’t be changing anytime soon.
So, just to recap, It Cosmetics:
- Is cruelty-free
- Not all products are vegan or vegetarian
- Is owned by non-cruelty-free parent company L’Oréal
You have to make up your own mind on what you consider cruelty free to be. My Beauty Bunny believes the vegetarian products sold by It Cosmetics are cruelty free, but some people won’t buy from brands that have non-vegetarian products, or from brands that have non-cruelty free parent companies. We try to give you as much information as possible, so you can make an educated decision.
Kayla Peart is the writer and photographer for her own blog, onyx + quartz. When she’s not writing about fashion and beauty tips, you can find her spending time with family and creating jewelry on the side. Follow her on Instagram and Pinterest!
