Is Vidal Sassoon Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

Vidal Sassoon was started as a hairstyle salon brand in London in 1954 by late British-American businessman and philanthropist Vidal Sassoon.

His haircare line of products was started in 1973. The celebrated hairdresser did the queen’s hair at Buckingham Palace and received a CBE from her for this.

The late hairdresser sold his business in the 1980s so he could devote himself to philanthropy. Vidal Sassoon was acquired by P&G, a company that tests on animals. Today, it is owned by Coty, another company that tests on animals.

Is Vidal Sassoon Cruelty-Free?

Skincare and haircare brands like Vidal Sassoon are categorized to be cruelty-free or not by their development, production, and after-market activities.

There are various ways a brand can be found to break the standards upheld by top cruelty-free brands.

These are all found in our three-point checklist, a list of criteria we use in testing skincare and haircare brands. To be cruelty-free, a brand must:

• Not test any of its formulations, ingredients, or products on animals
• Not sell in countries where animal testing is required by law
• Not test on animals through its partners, suppliers, or third parties

Vidal Sassoon is not cruelty-free, as it tests on animals. Also, the brand sells in mainland China. According to Beauty Without Bunnies, Vidal Sassoon is not cruelty-free.

Are Vidal Sassoon Products Tested On Animals?

Yes, Vidal Sassoon tests on animals, either to determine the efficiency of its products or to satisfy the requirements of countries they operate in.

The brand and its parent company test on animals and are not cruelty-free. For example, all Vidal Sassoon dyes are tested on animals.

Do They Test On Animals When the Law Requires This?

Yes, Vidal Sassoon tests on animals when required by law. One of its markets is mainland China, a country where foreign countries must test on animals if they wish to sell commercially.

In the last decade, considerable success has been seen when it comes to the elimination of animal testing regulations.

However, while China did change its regulation on animal testing, post-market testing still exists, especially when complaints are received on the product(s) of the brand.

Are Vidal Sassoon Products Sold In China?

Yes, Vidal Sassoon sells its products in China. Bottles of Vidal Sassoon are available in supermarkets in mainland China. Alibaba also sells and ships Vidal Sassoon in China.

The company also does cross-border shipping to China, so the brand must be testing on animals to keep this market.

Does Vidal Sassoon Have Cruelty-Free Certifications?

No, Vidal Sassoon can’t have cruelty-free certifications while testing on animals and operating in countries that have these regulations.

According to PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies, Vidal Sassoon “does tests on animals” and cannot have a certification.

As expected, it doesn’t have a certification from Leaping Bunny, and it’s not found on the program’s list of cruelty-free brands.

Is Vidal Sassoon Owned By Another Company?

The original owner of the brand, Vidal Sassoon, passed away, but before he passed, he sold off the brand so that he could focus on his philanthropy activities at the time. Vidal Sassoon is now owned by parent company Coty.

There’s confusion on Coty’s cruelty-free status.

While the brand claims it doesn’t “test our products on animals” and says it is forming a partnership with CFI (Cruelty-Free International) to end animal testing by cosmetics brand globally, we found out that Coty itself isn’t cruelty-free.

This is because the brand sells its products in mainland China, a country that requires all foreign companies to test on animals.

Also, there are no reports on whether the brand has agreements with Chinese authorities to sell in the country without doing animal testing and thus become a cruelty-free brand.

Are Vidal Sassoon Products Vegan?

Vidal Sassoon is not a 100% vegan brand. This means some of its products contain animal derivatives. Meanwhile, the company still makes a lot of vegan products.

Vidal Sassoon doesn’t have a catalog of vegan products, but these are a few of its products that contain no animal derivatives:

• Pro Series Protect Color Shampoo
• Pro Series Extreme Volume Conditioner
• Pro Series Moisture Lock Conditioner
• Extreme gentle conditioning 12 fluid ounce

Summary

Vidal Sassoon is not a cruelty-free and 100% vegan brand. Many of its products contain animal derivatives, and it tests on animals.

The brand sells in mainland China where animal testing is required by law. It’s also owned by Coty, a brand that claims it’s cruelty-free but sells in China.