Is Aveda Cruelty-Free?

When it comes to cruelty-free brands, there can be a lot of confusion about which brands are cruelty-free and which are not. In an attempt to make things easier, this post series hopes to help clear up the cruelty-free stance of some of the most asked about brands on Logical Harmony. A lot of people ask, “Is Aveda cruelty-free?”. Aside from being a well-known hair care brand, Aveda has their own chain of salons and is used in a lot of salons as well. A lot of cruelty-free consumers want to use Aveda on their hair at home but also because it can be such a struggle to find a salon with cruelty-free products.

Is Aveda cruelty-free? Keep reading to find out the details.

Aveda used to be one of the favorite brands in the cruelty-free beauty community. In 2012, they updated their FAQ to state that they did test on animals when required by law. This was very upsetting for the cruelty-free beauty community because so many knew of Aveda as a salon chain and hair care line they could depend on. For several years, Aveda stated that they did test on animals when required by law. Even though they were not selling in China, required by law testing can happen in almost every market around the world. Thankfully, they have made some much needed adjustments to their animal testing policy.

Over the past several weeks I’ve had extensive communication with the Aveda corporate team. They have been extremely positive, helpful, and these talks has been very productive. Thank you so much to the team at Aveda for understanding how important being a cruelty-free brand is! I truly appreciate it when these brands want to be listed on Logical Harmony as cruelty-free.

Is Aveda cruelty-free? Yes! Aveda is a completely cruelty-free brand. There is no animal testing occurring on their products or ingredients by Aveda, a parent company, or any companies that they work with. Aveda also does not test on animals when required by law.

Are Aveda products sold in China? No. Aveda products are not sold in China, and were never sold in China.

Does Aveda test on animals when required by law? No. Aveda does not test on animals when required by law. After talking to them extensively, I feel that I can confidently say that Aveda does not test on animals when required by law. Nor do they pay for any required by law testing to occur on their products.

Who owns Aveda? While Aveda is cruelty-free, Aveda is owned by Estee Lauder and Estee Lauder is not cruelty-free. I think everyone should decide for themselves how they feel about parent companies who test on animals. Supporting any cruelty-free brand is better than purchasing products from a brand that tests on animals.

Does Aveda have vegan products? Aveda does have some vegan products.

From the Aveda FAQ page:

“Aveda is a cruelty-free brand. We do not test on animals and never ask others to do so on our behalf. Our products are ‘people-tested.’ Being a cruelty-free brand is an important part of our mission to care for the world we live in and for those we live with, and has been since our founding in 1978.”

From the Aveda Cares page:

“Being a cruelty-free brand is an important part of our mission to care for the world we live in and for those we live with, and has been since our founding in 1978.

We strive to set an example for leadership and responsibility of caring, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.  Our commitment to caring for animals and wildlife reaches far and wide. In fact, we live and breathe it.

While Aveda products are not certified Vegetarian or Vegan, the overwhelming majority of our products contain no animal-derived ingredients. A very small number of products may include ingredients such as beeswax, honey, or whey-based protein.”

I am always excited to add another cruelty-free brand to the cruelty-free brand list here on Logical Harmony, especially one with a lot of vegan options. I get so many questions about Aveda, so I am very happy to be moving them to the cruelty-free section of the list. This is especially great since Aveda has salons all over and a lot of readers want to know what salon brands are cruelty-free.

Will you start using Aveda products? If so, which ones catch your eye?

While I am working on getting a full list of the vegan options from Aveda, I was able to find out about a few of them now. Below are some of the best-selling cruelty-free Aveda products that are also vegan:

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