Is Mario Badescu Cruelty Free?

Is Mario Badescu Cruelty Free?

Several of you have asked, “Is Mario Badescu cruelty free?” Years ago, I was a huge fan of their products, and I even reviewed them here on My Beauty Bunny. Then at some point, I saw that they were selling in China, so I had to put them on the do not buy list. (NOTE: their rep says they were never in China, so my recollection of WHY they were on the naughty list may be a bit fuzzy.) Recently, my assistant, Jenna, heard that they were once again cruelty free. I reached out to the brand, and they were able to answer all of my cruelty free questions. I’m happy to say that Mario Badescu is cruelty free!

Their answer to question number four (regarding ingredient suppliers) might seem wishy washy, but I believe they are just trying to avoid lawsuits in case their vendors ever go against their written statements about animal testing. It’s a smart move to avoid getting sued, and it doesn’t bother me. It could also potentially mean that their ingredient suppliers are testing (or could test in the future) OTHER ingredients that Mario Badescu does not purchase. That’s something they cannot control. Asking their vendors to sign statements saying they do not test is more than many companies do.

(1) Are the Mario Badescu finished products tested on animals by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company? 

(2) Are the Mario Badescu products tested on animals during the production process by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company?

 We do not test our products on animals. We do not test our ingredients on animals, nor do we have anyone test on our behalf. We are a privately held company and are not owned by a larger parent company.

(3) Do you have documents from your ingredient suppliers to show that they aren’t testing on animals for your brand or any other brand?

(4) Does your manufacturer purchase any ingredients from laboratories that conduct tests on animals? Do you have documents to support this?

We ask all of our raw material vendors to sign a certification that they do not test on animals. That said, we have no control over the actions of raw material vendors. Below is the statement that we require all of our raw material vendors to sign as it relates to the raw materials we purchase.

I confirm that to the best of my knowledge and belief that the above named raw material complies with the European ban on animal testing and has not been tested on animals for cosmetic or personal care purposes since December 31, 2009. I also confirm it has been checked with the actual manufacturer of each constituent raw material used to produce the product listed above to ascertain that this statement is correct.

(5) Are the Mario Badescu products sold in any markets where animal testing is required by local law and regulations (China, etc)?

 We currently have no products registered for sale in China.

(6) Are the Mario Badescu products vegetarian? (no animals killed for the products – i.e. some forms of collagen, squalane, etc.)

(7) Are the products vegan? (i.e. product ingredients that come from animals like lanolin, honey, milk, etc. – being vegan is NOT necessary for my blog, but a bonus for my vegan readers)

Some of our products do contain ingredients derived from animals such as egg whites, bee pollen, honey extract, lanolin, and lactic acid. Although we do have some products that are free of animal by-products, we are not a vegan facility. 

(8) Is Mario Badescu certified by Leaping Bunny? (It’s easy to get certified by LeapingBunny.org and it’s free to join without licensing the logo) 

At this time, we have not contacted Leaping Bunny for certification. Thank you for the useful information. I will forward it to the appropriate persons.

So Beauty Bunnies – which Mario Badescu products have you used, or are you curious about? I’ll do my best to review them for you!