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Gucci is NOT Cruelty-Free!
Gucci allows its products or ingredients to be tested on animals when required by law including when selling in stores in mainland China.
In addition, Gucci Beauty is licensed to Coty, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Gucci’s Animal Testing Policy
While researching to learn more about Gucci’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.
So I reached out to Gucci to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).
And Gucci responded by saying:
“Thank you for contacting Gucci Client Services.
I kindly inform you that for our beauty collection, we have chosen a privileged partner, Coty, who is in charge to produce, develop and place Gucci Beauty products on the markets, all over the world. Coty does not test our products on animals and are committed to ending animal testing across beauty industry. All our products are safe and have been developed, manufactured and packaged in compliance with the laws, regulations and guidelines that are applicable in each country in which they are sold.
Coty’s human safety experts review our ingredients, as well as the finished products, by applying the best science, based on the use of recognized alternatives to animal testing, existing safety data and, increasingly, the sharing of such data with other parties and industries. As part of their commitment to ending animal testing in the beauty industry, Coty has gone one step further than not testing on animals and formed a strategic partnership with Cruelty Free International (CFI), the leading organization working to end animal testing for cosmetics globally.
For further information, we kindly invite you to refer to our Coty partner, filling in the contact form, in order to receive proper assistance: https://coty.cotyconsumeraffairs.com/”
Based on their response, it turns out that Gucci’s beauty collection is licensed to Coty. And Gucci Beauty has the same animal testing policy as Coty. But what’s missing from Gucci’s response is Coty’s full animal testing policy where Coty states it allows some of its products to be tested on animals when required by law.
“Today, some governments and agencies still require the testing of certain products on animals, in accordance with their local legal and regulatory requirements. Occasionally, to comply with regulation, government authorized facilities test some products and ingredients we use on animals”
Policies stating “some governments and agencies still require the testing of certain products on animals” usually imply the company is selling its products in mainland China. That’s because cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by law to be tested on animals.
Is Gucci Sold in China?
In my research, I discovered that Gucci products are indeed sold in stores in mainland China.
Below is a screenshot of Gucci’s store locator showing results of their beauty products available in mainland China:
But Doesn’t China No Longer Tests on Animals?
Companies can bypass China’s pre-market animal testing by choosing to manufacture their ordinary or general cosmetics in China, but it’s not stated anywhere that Gucci has taken this route.
Additionally, the possibility of post-market animal testing is not completely ruled out and may be conducted on some cosmetics sold in physical stores in China.
As of May 1, 2021, cosmetic companies can also export and sell their ordinary or general cosmetics in China without animal testing only if they meet a set of preconditions first. However, meeting these conditions has proven difficult, and it’s still unclear what exactly is accepted according to the new regulations. So there’s no word yet of any company that has successfully done so.
Follow the highlighted lines in the graphic below to see why most cosmetics sold in China (like Gucci) are still required by law to be tested on animals in 2022.
Because Gucci has decided to sell in mainland China stores, they must consent and pay to have their products tested on animals. That’s why most cosmetics brands selling in mainland China cannot be considered cruelty-free in 2022.
Although Gucci may not be conducting these animal tests themselves, they knowingly allow Chinese authorities to test their products on animals to sell in China.
For those reasons, we would not consider Gucci to be cruelty-free by our standards.
Cruelty-Free Policies
Many truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell their products in China because of its animal testing laws. Unfortunately, Gucci refuses to do the same and therefore cannot be considered cruelty-free.
At ethical elephant, we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand itself, its suppliers, and by any third parties, including when required by law.
See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Gucci already does not meet the last two, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.
Is Gucci Certified Cruelty-Free?
Gucci is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.
Because Gucci is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Gucci’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.
Is Gucci Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?
Yes. Gucci is licensed to Coty, a parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2022.
Some cruelty-free consumers may choose to purchase and support cruelty-free brands owned by animal-tested parent corporations as they hope it will convince the parent company to become cruelty-free.
But in this case, Gucci is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its licensing company, Coty.
Is Gucci Cruelty-Free?
To sum up, by choosing to sell in mainland China, Gucci must have its products tested on animals. Therefore, we would NOT consider Gucci to be a cruelty-free brand.
Currently, Gucci is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.
Is Gucci Vegan?
Gucci does not claim or market itself to offer any vegan-friendly options. And since Gucci engages in animal testing, we wouldn’t consider anything sold or produced by Gucci to be vegan anyways.
In order for products to be considered vegan by ethical elephant’s standards, the products and their ingredients must not be tested on animals anywhere in the world. Also, they must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Gucci
Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:
- Charlotte Tilbury *owned by Puig
- Westman Atelier
- Hourglass *owned by Unilever
or check out our guide to high-end cruelty-free brands!
