Laniege is increasingly popular - one of their top products sells every 11 seconds! But does Laneige break the mold on cruelty-free and vegan policies, or do they keep the K-Beauty status quo?
Laneige is not 100% cruelty-free or vegan, as its products are sold where animal testing is required by law. It also cannot be considered vegan as it is not cruelty-free.
Laneige also offers multiple ranges to address different skin concerns, and they're committed to researching new formulas to help skin recover from stress and environmental damage.
Before you get too excited about buying these innovative products – you need to understand what you’re buying into (and it’s not so pretty).
Laneige's Ethical Overview
Laneige Is Not Cruelty-Free
Test any of its products or ingredients on animals
NO
Purchase any ingredients tested on animals within its supply chain
No
Distribute its products to any countries that require animal testing by law.
YES
Laneige is owned by Amore Pacific, a company with other brands who also allow animal testing was required by law.
Does Laneige Test on Animals?
While Laneige does conduct animal testing when required by law and ships to countries that require it, such as China, they still maintain a stance on cruelty-free cosmetics.
What Is Laneige’s Cruelty-Free Status in 2022?
Here is a screenshot of Laneige’s official statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:
Laneige Has No Cruelty-Free Certification
Laneige chooses to sell in regions that necessitate animal testing by law, we don’t see that changing any time soon.
Ideally, all brands that consider themselves cruelty-free should be Leaping Bunny certified.
While you might know PETA very well – it surprisingly doesn't hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations. Leaping Bunny certification is the gold standard to live up to.
Is Laneige Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law?
Yes, Laneige distributes its products in China, where animal testing on cosmetics is required as products arrive at the border.
China has a shocking track record. It is the country with the most animal testing globally, with over 20 million animals used per year.
However, if you live in China or are concerned about its cruel beauty policies, there are a couple of loopholes.
Here's how to find cruelty-free cosmetics in China: Are Cosmetics Made in China Cruelty-Free?
Laneige is Not Vegan
While Laneige claims to have some vegan products, it’s hard to consider any of its products free of animal-derived ingredients as “vegan” because it’s not 100% cruelty-free.
Does it have products that are free of animal-derived ingredients? Yes.
Are these products considered holistically vegan? Not in our opinion.
Laneige's only common animal-derived ingredients are squalane/carmine/ pearl particles.
Vegan Alternatives to Laneige
Brand | price range | 100% vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
$11 - $78 | Yes | PETA, Leaping Bunny | |
$14 - $88 | Yes | PETA, Cruelty-Free International, Leaping Bunny | |
$5 - $70 | Yes | Leaping Bunny | |
$5 - $60 | Yes | PETA | |
$15 - $50 | Yes | Leaping Bunny |
Laneige is Not Considered Natural, or Organic
Laneige claims to use safe ingredients.
Its whole ethos is to make clean formulas and products that anyone can use.
All products use a certain amount of synthetic ingredients in their formulas. Laneige is no exception – but it does choose to use better or clean synthetics.
If a synthetic ingredient is "clean," it means it is safe and non-toxic for us. Its purpose is to preserve the stability of a beauty formulation.
Laneige Has a 91% Allergen-free Ranking
According to Skin Safe, Laneige has a 91% allergen-free ranking for each product.
Laneige’s products are free of allergens such as paraben, lanolin, topical antibiotics, MCI/MI, nickel, gluten, coconut, soy, dye, irritants, dyes, and SLS.
Reading the ingredient list is crucial because Laneige is not 100% hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic, and they do not claim to be.
However, certain products are specifically for these concerns, so make sure you buy what your skin needs.
The EU/UK Have Stricter Ingredient Regulations
We don’t want to scare you, but you HAVE to read up on any product’s ingredient list before you make a purchase – especially if you live within the United States. The reason why will shock you.
The FDA has only banned or restricted 11 harmful chemicals from cosmetics within the country. Europe and the UK, on the other hand, have banned 1,328!
While Laneige is not considered ‘clean beauty,’ it has strict standards, so you shouldn’t worry about any serious hidden nasties in its products.
Keep in mind that with skincare and cosmetics, you want to avoid these ingredients:
Laneige Controversy
Laneige has proudly expanded from Korea, then China and around the globe. It’s criticized for lack of inclusivity- namely, only valuing customers of paler skin tones.
Odd, seeing as the Amore Pacific states, “Laneige shares the same celebration of diversity and believes everyone should shine with an inner and outer glow that’s just as unique as they are.”
As far back as 2016, US-based make-up artist advocate Jackie Aina dubbed Laneige one of “the worst brands ever for people of color.”
Calling out their lacking shade range has had little effect. As of 2022, their ‘Cushion’ range has just 7-12 shades, ending with a deep tan.
The BB and CC creams, liquid foundations, and powder compacts don’t cater to deeper skin tones either.
Laneige Has Some Sustainable & Ethical Initiatives
The ethical cause Laneige supports is Water.org, a global NGO focussing on water supply and sanitation.
It's no secret that the world has a huge waste problem, and cosmetic brands only make it worse by using unsustainable packaging and harmful ingredients.
Laneige takes environmental accountability by:
Final Thoughts
Laneige may have beautiful packaging, and clinical trials show excellent results- but this brand needs to improve on the ethical and sustainability front.
We’ve seen other K-Beauty brands tackle some of these issues and thrive.
With no cruelty-free certification, any products that don’t have animal by-products can’t be vegan. Even though Laneige stresses that they don’t test on animals- or allow other parties to do so- their distribution choices still cause harm!
There’s also a lack of transparency with ingredient sourcing in general. No information is provided on child-labor-free mica or if their palm oil is RSPO certified.
Sadly, without customers who demand better, we can’t see this brand changing its morals in the future.
