Musician, movie star, and beauty business owner Harry Styles is the ultimate modern man. So you’d think he’s made his progressive nail polish brand cruelty-free and vegan. Right?
Pleasing 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. Pleasing is also 100% vegan and doesn't use animal-derived ingredients.
In late 2021, Harry Style’s Pleasing launched with six items – and sold out almost immediately. I mean, did you expect anything less?
The star said he would see color in his surroundings and want it on his nails, which turned into a fun project during the pandemic.
Styles told Dazed, “When we eventually named it Pleasing, it felt like it was so much more than nail polish.”
What makes this different from other celeb-owned beauty brands? Pleasing releases “drops,” or micro-collections, of nail colors, skincare, apparel, and accessories.
Each drop has a different inspiration – and beneficiary that Pleasing donates or supports.
Beside the Don’t Worry Darling drama, we wonder if this is another celeb-founded brand that doesn’t make an ethical, sustainable, or kind product.
Find out if you can trust Pleasing’s cruelty-free and vegan policies or if there is more than one direction this could go in.
Is Pleasing Cruelty-Free and Vegan?
Pleasing is 100% Cruelty-Free
It does not:
So here are the interesting facts you need to know:
However, loopholes in the country's legislature and PETA accreditation make it easy for animal testing to sneak into production.
But we’ll get on to that under certification.
This brings us to our next point:
Pleasing is Vegan
Harry Style’s nail color and skincare brand is entirely vegan! It does not use any animal-derived ingredients in any of its products.
However, it's worth knowing that Pleasing is the exception, not the rule.
Most mainstream skincare brands are not 100% vegan. These are certain animal-derived ingredients to look out for in general:
If you're interested in the best Pleasing vegan products or finding brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: Pleasing vegan products.
Animal Testing Policy and History
Pleasing has been committed to creating clean, effective, and affordable cosmetics that are also cruelty-free. This has been its intention since it was founded.
Cruelty-Free Status in 2022
Here is a screenshot of Pleasing official statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:
Certification
Pleasing has no cruelty-free certification.
They do refer to their manufacturer's PETA accreditation in their cruelty-free statement.
With a multi-millionaire owner and having sold out almost all of their product drops so far, we know money is no object.
The brand could easily be certified and claims to make “cruelty-free products” without any backing – we have to ask ourselves why?
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 ideal because it proves 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 Pleasing Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law?
Pleasing is a direct-to-consumer brand, meaning they ship straight to consumers and aren’t stocked in stores.
Pleasing does not ship to or distribute any of its products to China or any country that requires animal testing on cosmetics by law.
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?
What Pleasing Products Are Vegan?
After scouring online reviews for hours – we found the best products from Pleasing’s expanding vegan range.
Here's what we found:
You can find everything on the website for a complete list of Pleasing vegan products.
Vegan Alternatives to Pleasing
Overall, Pleasing has some great vegan alternatives that other brands haven't cared to try yet. At this stage, they have a clean track record with consumers.
Total transparency from a very authentic public figure who’s not afraid to be himself.
For a multi-million dollar brand – it's commendable.
But if you will not support a brand that isn't cruelty-free certified– Pleasing might not be your first choice.
Here are some 100% vegan and cruelty-free brands in a similar price range for you to choose from:
Is Pleasing Natural and Organic?
Pleasing isn’t considered natural or organic.
However, it claims to use safe, simple, clean ingredients.
Its whole ethos is to make clean formulas and products that anyone can use.
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 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. Pleasing 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 Pleasing uses to enhance its cosmetics include:
Does Pleasing Use Safe Ingredients?
Although Pleasing does not feature on Skin Safe, they claim to have an extensive list of ingredients they do not use.
All their products are gluten-free, and all nail colors are 12-free. For an extensive list, check Pleasing’s “clean” standards definition.
Reading the ingredient list is crucial because Pleasing 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!
Luckily, Pleasing sets a great example of what true clean beauty is meant to be, and you shouldn’t have to worry about any hidden nasties in its products.
With skincare and nail color, you want to avoid these ingredients:
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 Pleasing Sustainable and Ethical?
Pleasing has strong sustainability and ethical initiatives as it ties in with the company values.
As it stands, the brand:
With each drop of a Pleasing micro-collection, the brand focuses on a different initiative. Some of the ethical causes Pleasing supports:
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.
Some of the ways Pleasing is taking strong environmental accountability is by:
Final Thoughts
Pleasing is a fast-growing brand at the intersection of beauty and lifestyle.
It considers various ethical factors, and the choice to be cruelty-free is a step towards a more sustainable future in cosmetics.
We appreciate that it has a transparent supply chain and is open to the public about its testing, purchasing, and distribution policies.
Of course, since Pleasing does not have cruelty-free accreditation – it might not be the best choice for activists who go the extra mile.
We would love to see this change and more greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint policies being shared.
But we wouldn't shut it down so quickly if we were you. This young brand is developing and listening to your needs, so keep following its movements.
