Victoria’s Secret is No Longer Cruelty Free
Recently, I discovered that retail giant Victoria’s Secret is no longer a cruelty free brand. They have an expanding beauty line that includes perfume, lotion, hair care, skin care, and cosmetics. For many years the brand has been cruelty free.
As readers of Logical Harmony know, I check back frequently with brands on a regular basis. On a recent check with Victoria’s Secret they answered my usual questions with no issue and checked out as being cruelty free. Logical Harmony reader Eliana however, received a different response than I had and brought this to my attention. Inconsistent responses from brands always put me on edge, and this prompted me to follow up with the brand quickly.
According to the new published stance on animal testing, Victoria’s Secret now tests on animals “when required by government regulations”.
You can read their full published stance here –
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. I understand your concern for the materials used in the production of our products. It is my privilege to respond to you personally.
As you know, L Brands is a cruelty-free company. We have confirmed with our production team that the contents of our beauty products are acquired through humane means that do not cause harm to the animal.
L Brands policy prohibits the testing of our branded products, formulations and ingredients on animals except in rare cases when required by government regulations. Through our involvement in the Institute For In Vitro Sciences, we are supporting research to develop additional non-animal alternative methods which we believe will ultimately result in the elimination of animal testing worldwide.
Tashina, thank you for your interest in our fabulous beauty products. If there is anything else with which we can further assist you, please be sure to call or email us at any time.
By L Brands, they are referring to Limited Brands, which is their parent company.
After their animal testing stance was updated, I did speak to the Marketing Director of L Brands. I was told that they do have plans to open Victoria’s Secret locations in China in 2015. They are aware that this would mean that the beauty products would be required to be tested on animals and have updated the brands animal testing stance to prepare for this change in the business.
I am sad to hear about this decision from Victoria’s Secret. For a long time they have had many vegan beauty options available. They were also a cruelty free brand that was easily accessible to many consumers who wanted cruelty free options.
Image credit: WikiCommons
I just spoke to a rep at the company and she told me this:
Karen: Limited Brands, Inc., does not test its products on animals, nor does it request any of our third-party manufacturers, or anyone else, to perform such tests on its behalf. We utilize ingredients in our formulations that are judged safe, and we do not ask the supplier of those ingredients to perform any such tests on animals. Limited Brands, Inc., does not use any animal byproducts in its formulations where the animal is either slaughtered or harmed for the sole purpose of obtaining that material. We do condone the use of animal-derived products where the animal is not harmed; for example, lanolin, milk, eggs, etc. Again, in keeping with our philosophy regarding the welfare of animals, Limited Brands, Inc., does not conduct animal testing, nor does it request suppliers to test on animals.
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VC is not vegan but they don’t test on animals.
While it’s true that Limited Brands does not test or have any of their manufacturers or suppliers test, they do submit products to required by law animal testing. The full animal testing stance can be found here – http://www.lb.com/responsibility/product_info/Policies.aspx Several months ago when I spoke to the head of PR at Limited Brands about Bath & Body Works I was told that contracts and papers had already been signed to move Victoria’s Secret into the market in China. Animal testing is required by law there and they acknowledged that they were aware of this policy and would be agreeing to any animal testing asked of them. 🙁
Is there really laws that require animal testing? That doesn’t make sense since there are companies that are cruelty free. I’m going to search legal requirements for animal testing…
Hi Meg,
Sadly, there are laws that do require animal testing. It could be on specific ingredients or on finished products. They exist in many countries around the world. It’s really sad.
Any company that sells in china is required to do animal testing. That is the main reason why VS is no longer cruelty free. They pay a 3rd party to do it for them.
So sad to hear about this! Do you know by chance if this only relates to the beauty and body care products that they sell? I enjoyed purchasing items from their clothing line (and lingerie, of course) but now that I’m thinking about it I wonder if thyere is any animal cruelty involved in the creation of their clothing (for example, testing clothing dyes on animals). Any information about this?
Thank you!
I would like to know this to! All of my underwear is Victoria Secret!
I could be wrong, but I think this means due to overseas sales. There are some countries that won’t let you sell beauty items there unless you test on animals. It still sucks for sure.
Hi Emma,
I believe that it’s likely the case as well. A lot of brands change their stance once they start to seriously look at global expansion into these markets, even if they do not currently sell there.
Hi Tashina, thanks for the mention!
I hope that PETA changes their cruelty free status soon.
I hope so, too!
Hi Tashina,
Thank you so much for all the information you post. I switched to use only cruelty free products recently and your blog have helped me a lot. Do you have any information about Nuance by Salma Hayek?
Hi Wilmarie,
I’m glad to hear that Logical Harmony has helped you find cruelty free items! That’s wonderful! 🙂
I reached out to Nuance by Selma Hayek and they have been added to the Pending Brands list. Once I hear back from them, I’ll add them to the appropriate list based on their response.
Thanks for keeping us updated! Have you heard anything about First Aid Beauty?
Hi Kelly,
I haven’t. I’ll reach out to them!
Ugh, this makes me sad. Doesn’t this mean that Bath & Body Works is no longer cruelty-free as they are owned by the same parent company?
As disheartened as I am by this news that yet another brand has gone to the dark side, Tashina, I thank you for your hard work in bringing this news to us so we can continue to make informed choices and strive to be as cruelty-free as possible.
I also reached back out to Bath & Body Works and they confirmed that they are still cruelty free. But who knows what the future holds there.
Thanks for your speedy reply! 🙂
This is why I’m making the switch to natural brands. The bulk of the brands are cruelty-free, and the ingredients aren’t a chemical cocktail. Many of these brands will identify the vegan products in their line.
Ugh! Why must our favorite companies do this?! Very, very disappointing! 🙁