A lot of people ask, “Is Morphe cruelty-free?” Morphe is a budget-friendly brand that is very popular in the YouTube and Instagram beauty scene. If you watch any YouTube makeup videos, odds are that you have heard of Morphe before. They also have a store in the Los Angeles, CA area.

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.

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

Is Morphe cruelty-free?

Morphe’s cruelty-free status is unclear. They are currently on the Grey Area List here at Logical Harmony. This means that I haven’t been able to get enough information from the brand to feel comfortable labeling them as cruelty-free, but I also am not comfortable labeling them as not cruelty-free either.

I have only received vague statements from the brand such as, “our products are cruelty-free,” or, “Morphe does not condone the use of animals for cosmetic testing“.

The most recent statement that I have received is, “Morphe absolutely does not use any of our products on animals for testing purposes and we do not condone the use of animals for cosmetic testing.”

The reason why this statement is unclear to me is for a couple of reasons.

1. They only address animal testing that is potentially being done by Morphe themselves. I have been unable to get them to address if any ingredient suppliers or 3rd party groups are testing Morphe products on animals at any point. In most cases, the brands themselves are not the ones testing on animals so it’s concerning to me that I have been unable to get further clarification here.
2. Just because they do not condone animal testing for cosmetics does not mean that they are cruelty-free. Many brands who do test on animals, or pay 3rd parties to test on animals on their behalf, use a similar statement.

If you read my post on brand FAQ pages and generic cruelty-free statements, you will know why I don’t consider these to be helpful or clear responses. Neither answer sheds much light on the Morphe cruelty-free status.

The term “cruelty-free” has no legal or even widely agreed on definition. This means that any brand can say that they are cruelty-free, no matter what their practices are.

When asked additional questions, or to start the process to be listed on Logical Harmony, Morphe does not respond or provide clarification. At this time, Morphe is also not certified as cruelty-free by PETA or Leaping Bunny.

Are Morphe products sold in China?

It is unclear if Morphe has products available in China via e-commerce or retail stores. I have not been able to get any details on this.

When I asked them if they sold in China or anywhere that may require animal testing, this was their response, “We do work with distributors in various nations but we only allow these if they meet our terms and policy as they represent our products and public image.”

The reason that I consider this to be unclear is that it simply doesn’t really answer the question. It focuses more on the fact that Morphe wants their brand image to be well-represented instead of anything related to animal testing. They have previously told other cruelty-free bloggers that they do not wish to be known as a cruelty-free company, so this also concerns me because being known as a cruelty-free brand does not seem to be a part of their public image.

Morphe does distribute in other countries, but I have not been able to find out which countries they distribute in and how they are sold there. I do know that through their online store shipping is available to many countries, but I have not been able to get details from them on if this includes China in any way.

When I asked Morphe specifically if they sold in China, and what countries they are sold in, they did not respond.

Does Morphe test on animals when required by law?

It is unclear if Morphe tests on animals when required by law. I have not been able to get any details on this. When I asked Morphe about this directly, they did not acknowledge the question.

Who owns Morphe?

Morphe is privately owned and is not associated with any other company.

Does Morphe have vegan products?

Yes. Morphe does make some brushes from synthetic fibers that are vegan-friendly. Search for “vegan” or “synthetic” on their site. When looking at sets, always check as some sets are a mix of synthetic fibers and animal hair. It is unclear if any of their cosmetics are vegan or not. At this time, no cosmetics from Morphe appear to be vegan as most contain lanolin or carmine.

I am hopeful to one day have a clear answer about the Morphe cruelty-free stance, but at this time I simply do not. They are a budget-friendly brand that many readers of Logical Harmony are interested in, so it would be great to be able to add them to the Cruelty-Free Brand List. I will continue to reach out to Morphe. In the meantime, if you would like to see Morphe clarify their stance and be added to the Cruelty-Free Brand List on Logical Harmony, please encourage them to do so.