Model from the Living Proof site
My fine, wavy hair gets frizzy sometimes – especially when I blow dry it in a hurry. And, when I lived in Louisiana years ago? Forgetaboudit! Frizz was a daily occurrence. When I first heard about Living Proof hair products years ago, I was very intrigued. A non-silicone-based product that manages frizz without weighing your hair down? Sign me up!
So, a long time ago, I tried a sample of a Living Proof styling product and wasn’t that impressed, so I never really looked into it again. I didn’t realize how amazing this stuff is until YEARS later when I sampled the sulfate-free, oil-free and silicone-free shampoo, conditioner and styling cream at the same time. When used together, there is a huge difference – now I’m hooked!
The secret is a patented molecule, OFPMA, that coats the hair to block out water from the air (AKA humidity), so your hair doesn’t swell up and poof out. The products are light enough that they don’t weigh hair down at all. I don’t use them every day – maybe 2-3 times per week and that’s fine for low-humidity Los Angeles. When I visit the South or the East Coast, I’ll be using the products daily for sure.
Jen
Fantastic review, Jen. I will definitely have to take a closer look at their products since I have naturally curly hair that tends to frizz at will! Thanks!
I am excited to try Living Proof Products like the ad my hair is frizzy not all the time but most of the time. Can’t wait to I can try some
Are they cruelty free or no? I can’t really seem to find information
Yes – we only review products that are cruelty free!
Hi, Did they reply to you that they are cruelty free? I can’t find any answers regarding if they do 3rd party testing or sell on the Chinese market. They only state that they do not test on animals which is not the same as being cruelty free. On their website message board they refuse to answer tons of customers who ask just this question. They reply to other threads directly before and after. This makes me very skeptical. I really want to buy their products…
Yes – they said they are CF and don’t sell in China.
Jen,
not to belabor the point because I know that you have stated that they are cruelty free but I really liked the specificity of Alicia’s questions:
– did they SPECIFICALLY state that they do not engage in third party testing?
My Q is:
– do you know if they plan to market in China? I really dislike that they will not commit to putting a bunny on their bottle because it becomes too easy to slip into animal testing without it as companies like estee lauder and the schlew of other companies that they own have done. Please give me every piece of info that you have on living proof because I am tired of being deceived by companies and I rather like their products.
thanks in advance.
I am too curious about the specifics on this question. I emailed them myself and got that same response, that they dont test on animals. I am on the fence about purchasing their products. Please elaborate Jen.
Thanks!!!
Problem! I just saw a post from them on Facebook: “Living Proof does not test our finished products on animals, nor do we ask our suppliers to test them on our behalf. If you have any other questions, feel free to email us at pr@livingproof.com!” What do they mean by “finished products”?
Courtney, they mean that the actual product you are holding in your hand is not tested on animals. However that does not mean that the ingredients that make up the product are not tested on animals.
Thanks to all for posting about the cruelty free questions. That was the one question I was having issues verifying. I would not buy a product that supports such a horrific practice. I know now I’m good with buying LP for my haircare line. 🙂
So Living Proof is NOT cruelty free which makes “my beauty bunny” a cruelty-free website when it’s CONVENIENT or not humid out lol.
Where did you hear that Living Proof is not cruelty free? It was cruelty free when this was post was published in 2012 (3 years ago).
The questions regarding the single ingredients and selling in China have remained unanswered. This makes me feel sceptical. Your response to Tara: “When did you last hear that LP is not cruelty-free” did nothing to allay my doubts. I thoght this website was about products that are proven to be cruelty-free, not about those where there is no proof that they do animal testing! Plus, PETA, THe Leaping Bunny et al do not have LP on their lists of CF-products.
Joanne – brands don’t come to me when they change their animal testing status. When I review a product, I check with them and ask them the following questions:
1. Are the finished products tested on animals by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company?
2. Are the products tested on animals during the production process by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company?
3. Are any ingredients used in the products tested on animals by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company?
4. Are any ingredients used in the products tested on animals by the company, a parent company, a third party or an affiliate company to comply with any laws and regulations?
5. Are any ingredients used in the products tested on animals, or do they contain ingredients that have been tested on animals, by the company, an ingredient supplier, an affiliate company, or a 3rd party supplier in order to comply with laws such as TSCA, CEPA, ELINCS, EINECS, REACH, NICNAS, SCCP, etc?
6. Are the products sold in any markets where animal testing is required by local law and regulations (China, etc)?
7. Are the products vegetarian? (no animals killed for the products – i.e. some forms of collagen, squalane, etc.)
8. Are the products vegan?
There’s no way for me to know if brands START selling in China (obviously they would want to keep that hidden from me), or conducting testing on their own, unless someone has intel that they can send me. I open get reports that brands are testing, which later are revealed to be rumors. I work closely with Leaping Bunny, The Humane Society, Logical Harmony and Phyrra.net, but I’m only one person, and I don’t have insider access to what the executives at the brands are doing. We often have to rely on third hand information before we can investigate.
Thank you very much for your detailed response, Chiefbunny. I think it’s wonderful that you put so much time and energy into finding and researching cruelty-free products! My comment was not about whether or not LP STARTED selling in China or testing ingredients on animals since you last contacted them. IT was rather that here on the site, people kept asking about these two aspects and there was no response. When you did respond, it was with a counter-question.
I wonder why LP is not certified as creulty-free if all the criteria are fulfilled?
Regarding the effect, my experience is that it does reduce frizz, but it did not keep my hair from swelling up. Initially, my hair felt softer than usual, but within 24 hours, it started feeling kinda stiff. I’d give it a B- or C+.
It’s hard to know when brands change their animal testing policies. I have not heard that Living Proof has changed anything, but if there is substantial doubt based on your communications with them, I would avoid their products. I don’t currently work with them, and this is an old post, but I would like to know if you hear anything so I can update my cruelty free list. I will try reaching out to their customer service on my own as well.
I emailed them and this was their response:
Dear Jen,
Living proof does not test our products or our ingredients on animals, nor do we ask others to do so on our behalf.
As an international company, we have been in full worldwide compliance with the European Union regulations regarding such testing of cosmetics. We apply these same EU principles across all products we sell, irrespective of market venue.
Importantly, Living Proof continues to fully ensure the safety of our ingredients and products without compromise. This is accomplished by using state-of-the-art non-animal testing methods as well as reviewing all available sources of safety data.
Living Proof does not have a parent company, nor are our products sold in China.
Our scientists take great care in developing highly effective products. All of them are vegan with the exception of just a few that use PEG-8 Beeswax (from bees) and/or C10-40 Isoalkylamidopropylethyldimonium Ethosulfate (a lanolin base from lamb’s wool). Those products are our:
Curl Detangling Rinse
Restore Mask Treatment
Perfect hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment
Perfect hair Day (PhD) Night Cap Overnight Perfector
No Frizz Weightless Styling Spray
Amp
Thanks Jen. Your last post was incredibly helpful and I think it’s what we were all looking for 🙂