Is Dior Cruelty-Free?
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Dior may be one of the most recognizable luxury brands, founded by Christian Dior. It makes cosmetics, fragrances, bags, and many more. You may even associate the brand with Natalie Portman, the face of the Miss Dior Cherie fragrance.
However, people are becoming increasingly concerned about a company’s policy on animal testing, as they prefer a cruelty-free company. Is Dior cruelty-free?
Unfortunately, Dior is not cruelty-free. Dior allows its products to be tested on animals, be it themselves or other partners and regulatory agencies. Dior also sells its cosmetics in China, which requires by law that these products be first tested on animals for safety. Dior’s parent company, LVMH, is also not cruelty-free.
This article explores Dior; specifically, its line of products is cruelty-free. It also discusses if Dior’s parent company is cruelty-free and if there are any cruelty-free alternatives to Dior.
What Does Cruelty-Free Mean?
The term ‘Cruelty-Free’ originates from the animal rights movement. Products considered Cruelty-Free are products that do not harm or kill animals during their creation and production. The movement also pushes for the ethical treatment of animals.
This may refer to animal testing or harvesting parts of animals to create products. Some products may also use animal-derived ingredients. However, cruelty-free could also entail different meanings, such as humane slaughter or the use of animal products such as animal skin.
Generally, fashion and cosmetic brands and products tend to be more scrutinized. This is because some cosmetic companies are known to have tested their products on animals, such as mice, which may cause pain, harm, and suffering on them. The tests could be either done by themselves or through third parties.
In the cosmetics industry, animals such as rabbits, rats, mice, or guinea pigs are used for testing. They may be rubbed with cosmetic ingredients to see if there are any allergic reactions. They may be killed and then cut open to observe if these ingredients affect their internal organs.
Another form of animal testing may use pregnant animals to observe if there are any effects on pregnant animals. They are also killed together with their fetuses. They are then carved open to observe changes in the organs and fetuses.
Aside from allergic tests, there may be carcinogenic tests. These animals are given cosmetic samples for some time, sometimes up to years, and they are observed for signs of cancer in their body. They are again usually killed after the experiment.
Some fashion products may also use animal parts, such as fur, leather bones, or more, which may cause suffering and death to these animals yearly.
As such, some consumers have demanded that these practices be stopped and wanted only cruelty-free products. Many brands have responded to such requests and have made their products cruelty-free.
Is Dior Cruelty-Free?
If you are a fan of Dior and its products yet prefer cruelty-free products, you may need to be prepared for some disappointment. Dior is, unfortunately, not cruelty-free. This means during the creation of Dior’s products, animals were either harmed directly or indirectly by Dior.
However, on the surface, Dior may give you an image of being cruelty-free. For example, suppose you go to the FAQ section on Dior’s company website. In that case, it claims they do not test its products on animals.
This may be true because Dior may not be directly testing their products on animals in their own labs.
However, Dior’s cosmetics are sold in Mainland China, which may indicate that Dior is indirectly harming animals. The reason is simple. By law, Mainland China requires imported beauty and cosmetic products to be tested on animals for safety before being sold.
A check on Dior’s website revealed that it has over 40 plus physical stores in Mainland China and Hong Kong, meaning that Dior products are being sold in the Chinese market.
Usually, foreign companies must pay the extra cost for the testing, which will be done by the Chinese authorities. This may mean Dior is not testing directly on animals but is paying for the testing.
To animal rights advocates, this means Dior can no longer be considered cruelty free. Cruelty-free brands do not directly or indirectly cause harm to animals.
The required animal testing laws have been relaxed by Chinese authorities in recent years. They recently announced the elimination of animal testing on imported shampoos, blushers, mascara, and perfume. However, Dior sells more than just these four products, which means their products may continue to be tested on animals to be sold in China.
This means aside from Dior, many international cosmetics companies that sell their products in China cannot be considered cruelty-free as well. These brands may include big names such as Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder, or L’Occitane. This may be difficult to digest if you strongly advocate for animal protection.
Is Dior Makeup Cruelty-Free?
Aside from fragrances and fashion accessories, Dior also makes makeup. You can purchase their makeup, blushers, and many other items commonly associated with a makeup set.
Similar to cosmetics, Mainland Chinese authorities require these products to be tested on animals to ensure that they do not cause any issues with humans. This means that any makeup products Dior sells in China will need to be tested on animals.
Dior may not be testing the products directly, but it is paying the Chinese authorities to test them. This means you have to assume that Dior’s makeup is not cruelty-free.
Is Dior Vegan?
Aside from being cruelty-free, another major metric people use to judge a fashion or cosmetics brand is whether they are vegan. Dior cannot be considered a vegan brand. This is because it uses ingredients and materials derived from animals in its products.
For example, instead of vegan leather, it uses genuine leather taken from animal skin. Dior shoes, bags, and other leather goods may even use exotic animal skins.
Dior’s makeup products also may not be vegan-free. This is because Dior never claimed that their makeups are, nor have they offered any vegan-friendly options.
Is Dior’s Parent Company Cruelty-Free?
Dior’s parent brand is LVMH, a huge fashion conglomerate that owns many other fashions, cosmetics, and alcoholic beverage brands. The full name for LVMH is LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
In total, there are about 75 major luxury brands that are part of the LVMH conglomerate. These include:
| Cosmetics | Fashion | Alcoholic Beverages |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Jacobs Beauty | Louis Vuitton | Moët & Chandon |
| Acqua Di Parma | Fendi | Ardbeg |
| Sephora | Hublot | Hennessy |
| Christian Dior | Nicholas Kirkwood | Glenmorangie |
| Benefit Cosmetics | Loewe | Belvedere |
Aside from these, LVMH owns media companies such as La Parisien, a French newspaper. LVMH owns shipyards (Royal Van Lent) and hotel chains (Cheval Blanc Maison).
Similar to Dior, LVMH is also, unfortunately, not cruelty-free. This can be seen from the brands they own and the nature of the products they sell. LVMH’s website also does not mention anything about no testing on animals.
When researched further, LVMH does talk about animal testing policy in a 2015 report. The report shows that LVMH may cooperate with Chinese authorities to ensure their cosmetic products are tested for safety before being brought to market.
Many of their luxury fashion houses may offer products made of exotic skin and fur, which by default made them non-cruelty-free. These exotic furs and skin may include angora, leather, wool, and more.
LVMH also has a record of animal abuse. There was undercover footage of ostriches and crocodiles under the care of their direct supplier being abused.
LVMH has tried to take steps to clean up its supply chain and improve its notorious image. For example, it has maintained and attempted to grow its cruelty-free brands under a separate subsidiary, Kendo Holdings Inc.
These brands may include Marc Jacobs, Bite Beauty, Ole Henriksen, and Kat Von D. These products are marketed as cruelty-free, and each individual product is a clean product.
However, the irony is that even if you spend your money supporting these cruelty-free brands, your money eventually ends up in LVMH. LVMH may then invest in developing products for other brands that may test on animals.
As a result, you may still be supporting animal testing and harm. If you are really concerned about animal cruelty, you may want to consider staying away from brands under LVMH.
What Are The Cruelty-Free Alternatives To Dior?
Suppose you are into cosmetics and cannot say no to picking up a bottle of lotion, lipstick, or foundation once in a while. At the same time, you also may not want to support companies that hurt animals. What are the good options to get enough information to confirm the cruelty-free status of beauty brands?
Fortunately, there is PETA. It stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is one of the world’s largest animal advocacy groups in the world, playing a leading role in protecting animal welfare. It has 9 million members globally.
PETA US regularly publishes a list of brands it considers cruelty-free on its website. It also publishes lists that confirm companies that do tests on animals or if the brand is as vegan as it claims to be.
From the list, we have found several major, popular cosmetics brands that are certified as cruelty-free by PETA. If you are keen to support cruelty-free brands, consider these popular brands:
Milani
You may recognize Milani cosmetics from their Rose Powder Blush, which recently went viral on social media, especially Pinterest. If you have ever thought about giving this brand a try, the good thing is that Milani is certified cruelty-free by PETA.
Milani tests its ingredients in labs that do not use animals. Their products are known to be gentle on your skin, as they add in skin-soothing ingredients such as squalane and rose oil. You may purchase Milani cosmetic products online or in retailers such as Walmart.
Aesop
Aesop is a luxury skincare brand from Fitzroy, Australia, focusing on hair, body, and skincare products. Aesop is also certified as cruelty-free by PETA. Aesop is known for its high-quality, natural products, as well as unique, beautiful chic packaging.
Some of their most popular products include the Geranium Leaf Body Scrub, Reverence Aromatique Hand Balm, Tacit Eau De Parfum Fragrance, and Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk.
Burt’s Bees
Burt’s Bees is based in the United States and makes great personal beauty products that focus on being bee-based. Its products are recognized as cruelty-free by PETA. Burt’s Bees are also recognized for being sustainable and organic.
Burt’s Bees’ products are made with natural ingredients, without harmful chemicals. It also applies minimal processing to protect its purity and natural goodness. You may also notice every Burt’s Bees product comes with a ‘Natural Bar’ that tells the percentage of natural ingredients in that product for your peace of mind.
NYX
NYX is named after Nyx, the Greek Goddess of the night. It is certified and recognized by PETA as a cruelty-free makeup band. It is not 100% vegan but does offer a wide selection of vegan products.
Their popular products include Lip Lingerie liquid lipsticks and the Can’t Stop Won’t Stop concealer. NYX is sold in over 70 countries worldwide. Its online store also ships worldwide.
Lime Crime
Lime Crime is one of the cosmetics brands that take animal rights seriously. Aside from being considered cruelty-free, Lime Crime’s product formulation is also 100% vegan. Lime Crime is also certified with both statuses from PETA and also Leaping Bunny, another major animal welfare organization.
Aside from its full range of products expected from makeup brands, Lime Crime also offers vibrant, full-color hair dyes. Lime Crime’s most popular products include Venus palettes and the Diamond Crushers lip toppers. You may see Lime Crime products stocked at ASOS, Revolve, or Bloomingdales.
Aside from these five, you may also consider brands such as:
These brands are also considered cruelty-free by many organizations aside from PETA, such as Leaping Bunny or Cruelty-Free Kitty.