With a name like Love Beauty and Planet, you assume this eco-friendly brand is cruelty-free and vegan, no? Looking at who owns it, we wouldn’t be so sure. Is the brand greenwashing us?
Love Beauty and Planet is cruelty-free. It doesn't conduct animal testing on its products, nor does it distribute its cosmetics where animal testing is required by law. Love Beauty and Planet is also 100% vegan – it doesn't use any animal-derived ingredients.
In 2018, Unilever launched a personal care brand inspired by consumers’ want for more natural, sustainable ingredients. With a dream team of like-minded brand directors, marketing directors, and researchers, work started on a purpose-driven brand.
The purpose? To leave the planet a more beautiful place than the way we found it.
Love Beauty and Planet’s pretty packaging and relatable imagery show women looking gorgeous that are getting dirty to help save the earth.
The range includes body care, hair care, and hygiene products with a high amount of naturally derived ingredients.
We’re trying to go into this one optimistic. How great would it be for an easily accessible, cruelty-free, and vegan to come out from Unilever? And does it compromise sustainability for its low prices?
Is Love Beauty and Planet Cruelty-Free and Vegan?
Love Beauty and Planet is 100% Cruelty-Free
It does not:
Love Beauty and Planet has cruelty-free messaging as a brand pillar and accreditation from PETA. While this isn’t the best internationally recognized certification to guarantee a brand is cruelty-free, it’s a start.
The brand is owned by Unilever, a global company known to be associated with animal testing.
So, we emailed to follow up on Love Beauty and Planet’s cruelty-free claims, but more on that under Animal-Testing History.
This brings us to our next point:
Love Beauty and Planet is Vegan
Surprise, surprise – this well-priced and accessible skincare brand is entirely vegan. It does not use any animal-derived ingredients in any of its products.
We were concerned that Love Beauty and Planet would be holistically vegan because certain regions require animal testing. However, it actively chose NOT to sell in those markets.
1 point to big vegan business
-20 to requiring testing by law
Most mainstream skincare brands are not 100% vegan. These are certain animal-derived ingredients to look out for in general:
If you're interested the best Love Beauty and Planet vegan products or finding brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: Love Beauty and Planet vegan products.
Animal Testing Policy and History
Love Beauty and Planet has been clear that it will not sell where animal testing is required by law.
It has also confirmed that before getting PETA accreditation in 2018, it did not test ingredients or formulas and has never allowed third-party testing.
It’s refreshing to see a brand that isn’t leaving out important wording and information to capture the minds and hearts of conscious consumers like you.
Cruelty-Free Status in 2022
Here is a screenshot of Love Beauty and Planet’s official statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:
Certification
Currently, Love Beauty and Planet is PETA-approved which is not a bad start. You might even find the little cruelty-free PETA bunny next to each one of its products.
However, it would be nice to see more certification since it’s so proudly cruelty-free.
While you might know PETA very well – it surprisingly doesn't hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations. It seems only to require a brand's written consent that abides by the PETA code of conduct.
Certification from Leaping Bunny is ideal because it holds rigorous standards and does regular audits to ensure they are upheld.
The Leaping Bunny association is very strict and reliable, which ensures that:
If you see a bunny stamp on the back of your product bottle – that's an excellent sign. But don't let the image itself fool you. A lot of brands are using fake logos to deceive consumers.
Do your homework and see which products are genuinely cruelty-free first. This article will help you: Which Cruelty-Free Logos Can You Trust?
Is Love Beauty and Planet Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law?
Love Beauty and Planet does not distribute any of its products to China or any country that requires animal testing on cosmetics by law. We emailed and received this response to confirm it.
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?
The Best Vegan Love Beauty and Planet Products
Love Beauty and Planet has a great range of vegan products that continues to expand. It prides itself in developing a product with you (the consumer) and the planet in mind.
To save you some time, here are some of its most popular skincare products:
You can find a complete list of Love Beauty and Planet's vegan products on its website.
Vegan Alternatives to Love Beauty and Planet
So far, we’re impressed with what Love Beauty and Planet represents. It's 100% cruelty-free, vegan, affordable, and users claim it to be effective too.
But if the brand is not easily accessible to you, here are some other options to choose from:
Is Love Beauty and Planet Natural and Organic?
Love Beauty and Planet is not considered a natural or organic brand. However, it claims to use safe, simple, clean ingredients.
Sometimes you will find organic ingredients in its products, and it does use natural ingredients where it's best for the product and the person who’ll use it.
Let’s see what Love Beauty and Planet have to say for themselves on this one.
“We […] are working to inspire a generation of changemakers to make the planet more beautiful every single day. […] Love Beauty and Planet focuses on reducing environmental impact and small acts of love.
Clean vs. Natural Ingredients
The term "natural" is not regulated for cosmetics and skincare. In other words, it doesn't hold one specific meaning.
Usually, it means a product is free of certain more toxic synthetic ingredients, including parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and more. But people also interpret "natural" to mean ingredients of immediate plant origin.
Here's the thing: "natural" is not necessarily good. Just because an ingredient is natural (take egg whites, for example) doesn't mean you should rub it on your skin and risk a salmonella infection!
All products use a certain amount of synthetic ingredients in their formulas. Love Beauty and Planet 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.
A few naturally-derived ingredients Love Beauty and Planet uses to enhance its cosmetics include:
Does Love Beauty and Planet Use Safe Ingredients?
According to Skin Safe, Love Beauty and Planet has an 82-91 allergen-free ranking across 121 products.
All Love Beauty and Planet products are free from silicones, dyes, phthalates, and parabens.
The brand also avoids gluten, nickel, MCI/MI, soy, irritants, and dyes.
Reading the ingredient list is crucial because Love Beauty and Planet is not 100% hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic and does not claim to be.
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!
Love Beauty and Planet has good ingredient policies, so you shouldn’t worry about nasty hidden toxins in your products.
However, here are some harsh chemicals to watch out for when shopping for hair and body care:
Are Cruelty-Free Ingredients Safe?
If you’re worried about how safe it is to use cosmetics not tested on animals – please relax and take a sigh of relief.
There is no reason why cruelty-free products shouldn’t be as safe as anything tested on animals.
Not only is it easy to test ingredients without using animals altogether, but there are so many pre-approved ingredients you can use to make cosmetics that there is no need.
If you’re interested, here’s more on the subject: Are Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Safe?
Is Love Beauty and Planet Sustainable and Ethical?
Love Beauty and Planet markets itself as an accessible, affordable, planet-loving brand for the everyday person. It does have some sustainability and ethical initiatives alongside a set of goals to work towards.
At this point in time, all Unilever brands follow initiatives that:
Beyond that, Love Beauty and Planet has five sustainable living pillars, these comprise of:
Some of the ways Love Beauty and Planet is taking strong environmental accountability is by:
But it doesn’t end here – Love Beauty and Planet has already set its goals for 2030, which include:
Considering that Love Beauty and Planet has big money behind it from its parent company, it could put it to good use.
Some additional suggestions we’d make as sustainable enthusiasts include:
Final Thoughts
We won’t deny that Love Beauty and Planet is doing a lot to be a more eco-friendly brand.
We appreciate that it has a transparent supply chain and is open to the public about its testing, purchasing, and distribution policies.
The fact that Love Beauty and Planet is cruelty-free and vegan is a step towards a more sustainable future for the beauty industry.
What’s perplexing is seeing certain claims in one part of its online presence being contradicted later.
For instance, on the homepage, a banner says “100% recyclable and recyclable bottles,” but under “our sustainability journey,” an infographic says 100% recycled plastic in most Love Beauty and Planet bottles.”
Most of does not equal all. (As our junior school math teachers used to drill into our heads).
So, which one is it? It can’t be both.
Love Beauty and Planet also uses palm oil as an ingredient. (Even if it's sustainably sourced).
We are pleasantly surprised by a global corporation like Unilever launching a brand to show that a sustainable future in beauty can exist.
However, some vegans and animal activists simply don’t feel comfortable supporting brands owned by parent companies known to test on animals. We leave that choice up to you.
Of course, if you want to see these changes happen, then the best chance you have is to reach out to Love Beauty and Planet and make yourself heard.
So speak to them and share your thoughts!
