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? No. Morphe is not cruelty-free.
Morphe was on the Grey Area List here at Logical Harmony for a long time. I was unable to get enough information from the brand to feel comfortable labeling them as cruelty-free but also wasn’t comfortable saying that they were not cruelty-free either.
I had only received vague statements from the brand such as, “our products are cruelty-free,” “Morphe does not condone the use of animals for cosmetic testing“, or “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.“
This statement was unclear to me for a couple of reasons:
- They would only address animal testing that is potentially being done by Morphe themselves. They would not 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.
- 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.
As of March 2021, I do not consider Morphe to be a cruelty-free brand. They have confirmed that they are selling in stores in Mainland China, where animal testing is required by law.
Are Morphe products sold in China? Yes.
Morphe has products that are sold in stores in China. Morphe claims that they are able to avoid any pre-market animal testing that may be required. It is possible that Morphe can avoid pre-market animal testing. Unfortunately, that doesn’t remove the potential for post-market animal testing.
Does Morphe test on animals when required by law? Yes.
By selling in stores in Mainland China, Morphe is subjecting their products to required by law animal testing.
I was looking into this and I am curious as well because i checked my Morphe x Jaclyn Hill palette and on the back it does say ” Made in China”, so would that then mean Morphe is actually not cruelty free?
Hi Erikaa! Brands can make products in China without animal testing, thankfully. Animal testing is required by law on most things sold there though.
If Morphe is supposedly “cruelty-free”, why do they use animal hairs such as Mink, Sable and Badger hair for their brushes? Wouldn’t that mean that they contribute to the fur industry which captures and kills these animals for their fur?
I would stick with your guns though. Regardless of a reply on cruelty free kitty they should reply to anyone who asks
I found a statement on cruelty free kitty that Morphe does not sell to china updated May 2018
I’ve reached out to Morphe since then and while they do state that they don’t sell in China, there are still so many areas animal testing could be happening given their statement.
Will you be reaching out to morphe again about their cruelty free status? It makes we wonder why they would not want to be certified as a cruelty free brand if they are, in fact, cruelty free.
Yes. I’ve continued to reach out without much luck.
Any updates on morphe cruelty free status tashina?? Cruelty free kitty claims they are but I trust you more lol. Thanks!!
None. I haven’t seen any statements that make me confident that they are cruelty-free.
This is what annoys me about Morphe too. I love the look of so many of their cosmetics but their unwillingness to be open and transparent about their cruelty-free status has put me off. We all know that when a company does the whole “Morphe does not condone the use of animals for cosmetic testing“…. it means that they do test on animals but they don’t want people to know.