Is Almay Cruelty-Free or It Tests on Animals?

Skin, hair, and makeup products are very important in our lives. In ancient times, people used to spend much time pampering themselves and making some products they could use on their skin. Now, this vital task is done by beauty brands that manufacture beneficial products for us. We need to contribute only some minutes to use them to make our skin as well as hair vibrant and youthful.

Many skin and hair care products are designed to be gentle as they include pure or organic ingredients. So, anyone with skin issues can use them. But it becomes very tough to find a brand that contains no harmful ingredients when it comes to makeup products.

Makeup items should be made with hypoallergenic ingredients because we regularly use them on our faces for a long time. Hence, we scrutinized several brands like Bare Minerals, Pixi, Origins and many more for its organic and vegan products.

That’s where brands like Almay has stepped forward to manufacture hypoallergenic makeup for the people who are dealing with sensitive skin. Their products are famous for not promoting any skin irritation. But that is not all that we need to know about Almay. We should first get information about Almay animal testing policy and know if it is vegan or not. So, let’s proceed. 

Almay Cosmetics – Cruelty-free and Vegan?

About Almay Brand – Almy is a well-known cosmetic brand in America that manufactures products for people having sensitive skin. Its parent company is a famous brand, Revlon. Almay first started in 1931, and it got this name by joining two names, Alfred and Fanny May Woititz, who were the founders of Almay. The origin story of this brand is quite interesting.

Fanny May Woititz had sensitive skin. Back then, no cosmetic brand was into manufacturing makeup products for people with skin irritation problems. So, her husband, Alfred Woititz, a chemist by profession, began his experiments to create makeup items with gentle ingredients.

Alfred then came in contact with a professional dermatologist, Marion Sulzberger, and they ended up establishing Almay, where only hypoallergenic ingredients were used in makeup items. 

Thus, Almay became the pioneer to launce makeup products that were fragrance-free and skin-friendly. They also started showing all of the ingredients used in each and every product. And, their products are tested for irritation and allergy, too, before declaring them safe for sensitive skin. 

So, what is this confusion all about? – Let’s put it straight, Almay is not cruelty-free because they either do animal-testing of their products or pay for testing on animals. Their products are sold in Mainland China, which is a clear proof of this brand not being cruelty-free.

Almay’s parent company, Revlon, is also a brand that tests its products on animals. So, no matter if Almay tests their products on innocent animals or not, they follow the law of countries like China to market their products for Chinese people, where animal testing is necessary. 

Is Almay Vegan?

No, Almay is not a vegan brand. Some products of Almay include some animal-derived ingredients or even animal by-products. For example, they use carmine, a food coloring additive that is manufactured from crushed up bugs. 

Almay is very popular among all people regardless of skin issues as people know that it’s always a good choice to use skin-friendly makeup products. If you are a vegan, you should always consider checking the ingredient list before buying any Almay makeup product, because not all of their items are vegan. 

Does the Almay Test on Animals?

Though Almay’s website says that this brand doesn’t involve any animal testing, they follow the government regulations of some countries like China to sell their products in those certain areas of the world. 

Almay markets its products worldwide. Now, in some countries, such as Mainland China, testing on animals is required by law. That means, if a brand wants to sell their items in China, they need to test their products on animals before the government of China declares it safe to use for all the people. So, a brand wanting to enter into the Chinese market need to conduct animal testing like the Clinique cosmetics brand.

Almay does that. Their animal testing policy is quite flexible because their products go through this unethical testing process when it is a mandatory regulation by the government. This specific policy prohibits Almay from being a cruelty-free brand. 

Is Almay Sold in China?

Yes, Almay hair products and their makeup items are sold in China. China is undoubtedly a huge and profitable market. That’s why most of the brands choose this country. But these brands should not be considered cruelty-free even if they do not conduct animal testing in other countries.

China still encourages animal testing in 2021 actually brings forth society’s brutal mentality, which never hesitates before harming innocent lives for our purposes. If a brand says no to this act of cruelty, Chinese authorities, in most cases, do not let any of the products of that particular brand enter into their market. 

Alternatives to Almay Cosmetics

Almay is, indeed, an amazing brand that cares about all the people who have sensitive skin. In fact, it is the first cosmetic brand to use only hypoallergenic ingredients in their products, which will cause absolutely no irritation or any skin allergy. But the fact that Almay is not cruelty-free makes Almay out of the preference list of any ethical person or at least a level 5 vegan.

But you will be glad to know that various cruelty-free brands use organic or skin-friendly ingredients that do not promote any skin infection or irritation. After detailed research, we present you with some of the best vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brands that offer you beneficial skin products and high-quality makeup items. Some of these brands are listed below. 

Acute

Acute is a 100% vegan brand which do not perform any animal testing. The skincare and hair care products by Acure are very much effective and are designed for sensitive skin. 

Basd Bodycare

Basd Bodycare is also a cruelty-free and totally vegan-friendly brand. Their body lotions and body washes are very gentle on the skin. If you are looking for more options in body wash, check our compile list of Best Vegan Body Wash and Shower Gel Brands. So, if you have very sensitive skin, which develops rashes often, you should definitely go for this brand. 

Several cruelty-free brands manufacture high-quality products. All of these brands need to get more encouragement from us. That is how the beauty industry is going to support cruelty-free brands more and change the animal testing policy of popular brands. 

Conclusion

Almay is an excellent brand that was the pioneer to use only hypoallergenic ingredients in their makeup items. But neither Almay is vegan, nor it is cruelty-free. Being a popular world-wide selling brand, it’s high time for Almay, and other famous beauty brands like cerave, kiehl’s to turn completely cruelty-free.

Testing on animals should be totally abolished by law. That is the only way to change our society’s mentality and make people rethink their decisions. You can check our cruelty-free and vegan scrutiny on several other brands like Stila, Maybelline, Boscia and many more in our Vegan FAQs section.