Is Fresh Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

Fresh is a global cosmetics company that is headquartered in New York. It was started in Boston in 1991 by Russian immigrants Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg.

The company makes skincare products, such as cleansers, toners, masks, moisturizers, lip care, eye care, essences, and serums.

Fresh is owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, a parent company that is also known as LVMH or Louis Vuitton. LVMH is a brand that tests on animals and is, thus, not cruelty-free.

Is Fresh Cruelty-Free?

To be cruelty-free, a brand must ensure that none of its products or ingredients are tested on animals. Being cruelty-free requires more than not testing products on animals in the laboratory, though.

We have a checklist that we use to test whether a skincare brand is indeed cruelty-free. This checklist mandates that a company must not:

• Try its products, formulations, or ingredients on animals.
• Outsource animal testing projects to third parties.
• Sell in countries where there are existing regulations that make animal testing a requirement for foreign brands.

Given the above, is Fresh cruelty-free? The answer depends on who you listen to.

If you get your answer from Fresh (which we’ve done for you), the brand will tell you it only tests its products on “non-animals”. According to the brand, “Fresh does not test our products on animals.”

However, Fresh isn’t cruelty-free, as it sells products in mainland China. The brand not only hands its products to Chinese authorities for animal testing, but it also pays for its products to be tested by third-party companies.

Are Fresh Products Tested On Animals?

Fresh’s products are tested on animals because it sells in mainland China, a country where all foreign brands are required to be tested on animals to ensure the safety of their products for safety purposes.

The name of the brand cannot be found in cruelty-free authorities’ lists of cruelty-free brands.

We found out that Fresh not only tests on animals, but it also does so during product development. A change in the brand’s statement on its animal testing policy in 2017 helped us uncover this.

The brand’s animal testing policy as of 2017 clearly includes that it doesn’t test on animals “except where it is required by law.”

However, today, that part has been expunged from Fresh’s policy, indicating that the brand may have also started carrying out animal testing by itself or through third parties.

Do They Test On Animals When Required By Law?

Fresh tests on animals when it is required by law. Currently, Fresh sells its cosmetics products in mainland China and must test the products on animals before they are released on the market.

Are Fresh Products Sold In China?

Fresh sells and ships its cosmetics products in China. China is known for having regulations that require all foreign companies that sell cosmetics to test each product on animals.

For products that are exempt from testing, they are still tested if authorities receive complaints about the products.

Does Fresh Have Cruelty-Free Certifications?

Fresh is not certified by any cruelty-free certification because of its animal testing policy. The brand has no certification with the CFI, Leaping Bunny, or PETA.

Is Fresh Owned By Another Company?

Fresh is owned by Louis Vuitton, a company that performs animal testing and sells in mainland China. Louis Vuitton acquired Fresh earlier in 2020.

Are Fresh Products Vegan?

Fresh is not completely vegan, as most of its products include animal ingredients. However, the brand still offers a lot of products that don’t contain animal ingredients or derivatives.

Fresh doesn’t have a catalog for vegan products.

If you are pro-vegan and would like products that do not contain animal derivatives, Fresh probably isn’t what you want.

All the products we checked in its moisturizers, cleansers, eye care, face oil, masks, and toners categories all have ingredients derived from animals. These include honey, glycerin, squalane, tocopherol, beeswax, and more.

Summary

Fresh is not a cruelty-free brand, neither is it a vegan company. Most of its products have animal ingredients. Fresh does animal testing either in its labs or through third parties.

It also tests on animals when required by law.

Furthermore, Fresh sells in mainland China, a country where animal testing is a requirement for foreign brands dealing in skincare products. Finally, Fresh is owned by Louis Vuitton, a parent company that tests on animals.