Searching for makeup that matches your values and avoids cruelty can be tricky. If you’ve been wondering whether Maybelline is a cruelty-free cosmetics brand, you’re not alone. This article will give you the honest facts about Maybelline’s animal testing policy in 2025.
We’ll look at Maybelline’s official statements, their parent company’s policies, and how their products are sold in China. We’ll also explore their Green Edition line and suggest truly cruelty-free alternatives if you want to make a more ethical choice among beauty brands.
Is Maybelline Cruelty-Free?
No, Maybelline is not cruelty-free in 2025. Despite what their marketing might suggest, asking “Is Maybelline cruelty-free?” yields a negative answer because Maybelline allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.
This happens primarily because they sell their products in mainland China, where some animal testing in some capacity is still required for imported cosmetics.
The key factors that confirm Maybelline is not a cruelty-free brand include:
- Selling products in markets that require animal testing
- Not being certified by any major cruelty-free organization
- Having a parent company (L’Oréal) that also tests on animals, often, brands owned by such companies follow suit.
- Including an “exception” clause in their animal testing policy, indicating the brand engages in animal testing under certain conditions.
For consumers who care about animal welfare, this is important information that helps you make choices that align with your values.
Does Maybelline Test on Animals?
Maybelline states on their website: “At Maybelline, we care for animal welfare and do not test on animals. Instead, we practice effective, non-animal ways to ensure the safety of our cosmetic products.”
However, if you read their FAQ page carefully, you’ll find this critical disclaimer regarding how they test their products:
“L’Oréal no longer tests any of its products or ingredients on animals, anywhere in the world nor does L’Oréal delegate this task to others. An exception could only be made if regulatory authorities demanded it for safety or regulatory purposes.”
This exception is the key issue. When a company includes this type of language, it typically means they sell products in countries that require animal testing, such as mainland China.
Maybelline sells a wide range of products in China, and there’s no evidence anywhere that Maybelline has taken all necessary steps to ensure none of their products require animal testing under the complex regulations for selling in China without animal testing.
The company has not publicly stated anywhere that Maybelline has implemented specific measures to avoid this; therefore, it’s reasonable to assume their products were likely tested on animals. It hasn’t been demonstrated that Maybelline has taken any steps to circumvent these requirements entirely.
The China Market Factor: Why This Disqualifies Maybelline
China has made some progress in relaxing its animal testing requirements since 2021, but there are still many conditions where testing is mandatory, meaning products tested on animals remains a reality.
For cosmetics to avoid animal testing by law in China, they must meet ALL of these conditions:
- Only sell “general cosmetics” (like basic makeup, skincare, and haircare)
- Not sell any “special cosmetics” (like sunscreens, hair dyes, or products claiming new efficacy)
- Not sell products designed for infants or children
- Not sell products containing “new cosmetic ingredients”
- Have a policy to recall products rather than allow post-market animal testing
Additionally, products must either be manufactured in China OR have proper safety certificates from authorities in their country of origin to sell cosmetics in China without animal testing.
Certification Status: Not Recognized by Any Cruelty-Free Organization
Maybelline is not certified cruelty-free by any major organization that verifies animal testing policies. These include:
- Leaping Bunny: The gold standard certification that requires rigorous supplier monitoring, audits, and annual recommitment
- PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies: A program that requires companies to sign a statement of assurance about not testing on animals
- Choose Cruelty-Free: An Australian certification program (now part of Leaping Bunny)
In fact, PETA explicitly lists Maybelline on its “companies that DO test on animals” list.
For a brand to be certified and offer verified cruelty-free products, they would need to adhere to strict policies against animal testing and:
- Not test finished products on animals
- Not test ingredients on animals
- Not hire third parties to conduct animal testing
- Not sell in markets where animal testing is required by law
- Have a strong supplier monitoring system in place
Maybelline fails to meet these criteria, which is why they don’t carry any of these trusted cruelty-free certifications; companies can be fully cruelty-free only by meeting these stringent requirements, and it’s hard to be fully cruelty-free without being certified by a reputable third party.
Is Maybelline Vegan? Analyzing Product Ingredients
It’s important to understand the difference between “cruelty free” and “vegan”:
- Cruelty-free means no animal testing at any stage
- Vegan means no animal-derived ingredients in the products
While Maybelline has released vegan products, including their Green Edition line, these products cannot be considered truly vegan by ethical standards, meaning Maybelline is not vegan in the holistic sense. This is because veganism generally rejects animal exploitation in all forms, including animal testing. Therefore, many wouldn’t consider any Maybelline products vegan.
The Green Edition Line
In 2022, Maybelline launched its Green Edition line, which includes:
- Mega Mousse Mascara
- Balmy Lip Blush
- Superdrop Tinted Oil
These specific products are vegan in formulation, meaning they are free of animal-derived ingredients and contain a minimum of 70% natural-origin ingredients. The line is part of Maybelline’s Conscious Together sustainability program and is certified by Cradle to Cradle for environmental and social performance.
While these products vegan formulations are welcome, they still can’t be considered truly ethical vegan choices even though Maybelline allows animal testing when required by law.
The brand does offer some vegan products, but ethical consumers often consider any Maybelline products vegan unsuitable due to the overarching animal testing policy, despite the company choosing to offer vegan lines. These are vegan products even if the brand itself isn’t cruelty-free.
Is Maybelline Clean?
“Clean beauty” refers to products made without potentially harmful ingredients. Maybelline’s Green Edition line is their attempt to move into this space by:
- Using a minimum of 70% natural-origin ingredients
- Creating vegan formulations (no animal-derived ingredients)
- Eliminating ingredients like parabens, petrolatum, formaldehyde, silicones, BHT, and mineral oil
However, clean beauty is about more than just ingredients—it’s also about ethical practices, which would include a strong stand against animal testing; these products may be cleaner, but the brand’s ethics remain questionable for some.
L’Oréal’s Influence: Parent Company Policies
Maybelline is owned by L’Oréal, one of the world’s largest cosmetics companies and a company that tests on animals when required by law.
L’Oréal’s animal testing policy is identical to Maybelline’s, stating they don’t test on animals except when “regulatory authorities demand it.” The parent company’s cruelty-free status (or lack thereof) is often a good indicator of their ethical stance.
L’Oréal claims to have been developing alternative testing methods for over 30 years and stopped testing finished products on animals in 1989.
However, like Maybelline, they sell products in mainland China and therefore cannot be considered cruelty-free; it’s common that parent companies are not cruelty-free, even if some individual brands owned by a company market themselves differently.
As a parent company, L’Oréal’s policies directly impact Maybelline’s practices. Until L’Oréal commits to avoiding markets that require animal testing, Maybelline will continue to fall short of cruelty-free standards.
Truly Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Maybelline
If you’re looking for affordable, cruelty-free alternatives to Maybelline, here are some great options from our list of cruelty-free choices:
Budget-Friendly Drugstore Alternatives:
- e.l.f. Cosmetics: 100% vegan and certified cruelty-free, with affordable price points (one of the popular vegan brands)
- NYX Cosmetics: PETA-certified cruelty-free (though owned by L’Oréal)
- Milani: Offers high-quality, cruelty-free makeup at reasonable prices
- Essence: Budget-friendly and certified cruelty-free
- Cover Girl: Recently obtained Leaping Bunny certification
These drugstore makeup brands provide similar product types to Maybelline but with the assurance that no animals were harmed in their development or testing, offering good cruelty-free options.
Mid-Range Alternatives:
- Too Faced: Cruelty-free with many vegan options
- Urban Decay: PETA-certified cruelty-free with a wide range of products
- Tarte: Known for natural ingredients and cruelty-free formulations
These brands provide similar product types to Maybelline but with the assurance that no animals were harmed in their development or testing.
Common Questions About Maybelline’s Cruelty-Free Status
Is Maybelline going cruelty-free?
As of 2025, there is no indication that Maybelline plans to become fully cruelty-free. While they’ve introduced more sustainable and vegan formulations, since Maybelline continues to sell in markets that require animal testing, their status remains unchanged.
Has Maybelline ever been cruelty-free?
No, Maybelline has never been certified as cruelty-free by any major organization. Since they’ve been owned by L’Oréal (which has sold in China for many years), they have consistently fallen short of cruelty-free standards.
Does Maybelline still sell in China?
Yes, Maybelline continues to sell its products in physical stores in mainland China, where some animal testing is still required by law.
What about Maybelline products labeled as vegan?
While some Maybelline products, especially in their Green Edition line, don’t contain animal-derived ingredients, they cannot be considered truly vegan by ethical standards due to potential animal testing.
Will Maybelline become cruelty-free in the future?
This would require Maybelline to either stop selling in China or for China to eliminate all animal testing requirements. While China has relaxed some requirements, a complete ban on animal testing has not yet occurred.
How can I encourage Maybelline to become cruelty-free?
The most effective way is to support truly cruelty-free brands instead. Companies respond to consumer demand, and your purchasing choices send a powerful message about your values.
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Conclusion
Ultimately, Maybelline is not cruelty-free in 2025. Despite their claims of caring for animal welfare, they continue to allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law.
This happens because they choose to sell popular products like their Instant Age Rewind Concealer in markets like mainland China, where some animal testing is still mandatory.
While Maybelline has made progress with their Green Edition line, which uses vegan formulations and more natural ingredients, these efforts don’t change their overall status regarding cruelty-free beauty.
Making informed choices is the most powerful way to influence change in the beauty industry and help create a future where no animals suffer for the sake of cosmetics.
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