Is ROC Cruelty Free and Vegan?

ROC is a skincare brand created in Paris, France, in 1957. Since then, the brand has been on progressive growth using ideal formulae to develop effective and safe skincare products.

As much as ROC tries to maintain stability and consistency in the quality of its products, there are still concerns about the company’s animal testing policy and ingredient lists.

This concern is the same for many other brands in various industries, mainly cosmetics, makeup, and skincare products. 

Is ROC Cruelty Free? 

There are some factors and standards that can help ascertain the cruelty free status of ROC. Before a brand can be labeled as cruelty free or not, it must meet the criteria below.

• Their products or any of its ingredients must not be tested on animals even when requested by law.
• Their products should not be sold in mainland China 
• They should not allow any third-party testing of their products or its ingredients on animals

Are ROC Products Tested On Animals? 

ROC makes a strong claim on their websites that it does not test its products or ingredients on animals anywhere in the world.

However, this statement is trailed with a lot of controversies because of the uncertainty about if ROC sells its product in mainland China or not. 

The above is the concise statement of ROC on their animal testing policy. Nevertheless, the statement is not enough to acknowledge the brand as cruelty free.

The company’s products are highly available for sale in mainland China where animal testing on skincare products is mandatory. 

Do They Test Their Product When Required By Law? Or Use a Third Party? 

There is no enough information to ascertain if ROC tests its products or its ingredients on animals when required by law or uses a third-party to carry out the test.

If the brand sells its product in mainland China, it allows their product to be tested on animals according to the Chinese importation law. 

Are ROC Products Sold In China? 

It is unclear if ROC products are available for sale in Mainland China.

ROC’s official website only states that shipping is only in the contiguous United States, excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

However, there are huge speculations against this claim.

Does ROC Have Cruelty Free Accreditation Certifications? 

ROC does not have any cruelty free accreditation certifications. The primary reason for this lack of accreditation certification is the brand’s lack of clarity on its animal testing policy. 

Is ROC Parent Company Gryphon Investors Cruelty Free? 

Gryphon Investors is a middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco. The company announced ROC’s takeover from Johnson & Johnson consumer Inc on January 22, 2019.

It is not clear if Gryphon Investors is cruelty free or not because it is just their second investment into the beauty industry after acquiring Milani Cosmetics in June 2018. Milani is cruelty free, while ROC is not. 

Is ROC Vegan? 

Vegan products are products that don’t contain animal materials or any animal-derived ingredients.

ROC is not 100% vegan because some of their products have some animal-derived ingredients or materials. 

Consequently, ROC does not have any vegan certification. It is best to check through the ingredient list of any product you intend to buy to ascertain its vegan status.  

Summary 

ROC is a controversial brand. ROC claims on its website that they do not carry out any animal testing anywhere in the world, but it is not clear if ROC sells its products in mainland China or test when required by law. ROC is not 100% vegan.